To Unveil an Ice Queen
by CainViolle
Summary: ON HIATUS. After years of being pushed away and rejected by Will, Lance puts a plan in motion to get himself closer to the Psychic's heart; but can he handle the secret scars of Will's past and his own? Set during G/S/C, HG/SS. Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will), Gyroshipping (Koga/Will), various other 'shippings all around. Rating will rise.
1. Rumours

_**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own the rights to any of the characters, place names, etc. used in this work. This work is entirely fictional and is meant solely for entertainment purposes, I am not collecting any profit off of writing this work. All things Pokemon belong to their respective owners. All I own are my words and my O/Cs.**_

A/N:

_ Alright, so, welcome to my story. I promise you all kinds of fun and a lot of crack pairings. I started this off of a whim that a friend of mine brought up, and I really don't know how I ended up writing a whole story about it, but here I am. A huge thanks to my own personal Lance, who was the aforementioned friend who inspired this. You're FabuLance and I love you.  
_  
_So, in the summary I promised Masqueradeshipping, and Gyroshipping, as well as some other scattered 'shippings. We're not getting into that quite yet, but I promise it'll happen. All good things come to those who can wait. Be patient, and I promise you some hot, steamy 'shippings. I am also more than willing to take shipping requests wherever possible. I also apologize in advance, as the first chapter is very short and loosely thrown-together. I promise it will only get better from here. This fanfic is mostly based off of the game universe, but I did get a lot of inspiration from the anime and the Pokemon Adventures manga, so it's going to be mostly game universe, with a dash of anime and Pokemon Adventures mixed in here and there._

_Also, as a forewarning, this fanfiction is going to get very deep and intimate (eventually), and create a lot of new backstories and perspectives of several characters, and to be honest, some of it is going to get very dark and dirty in the process. The rating will rise, people are going to have sex and do other things, shit is going to go down. If you can deal with that, thank you, I really appreciate that as a writer. Stick with me and I promise to deliver the entertainment you enjoy._

_**Chapter One:** Rumours_  
_**Word Count:** 1,700 (roughly)_  
_**Characters: **Lance, anonymous Team Rocket member**  
****Pairings:** None (there will be plenty to come, I promise)_  
_**Warnings:** Some swearing_

* * *

When he got wind of a rumor that some small splinters of ex-Team Rocket members had reformed and were attacking a small farming village, Lance spared not a single moment to get ready and leave so he could investigate. He had his tangles with Team Rocket in the past, but he had been sure that they disbanded years ago when the trainer Red defeated them. Naturally, he was concerned, and he had a score to settle, hence his whole day had been spent traveling and battling with Neo-Rocket, as he decided to call them.

They were disorganized, whatever plan they had to stir up trouble was loosely thrown together, and easily taken apart. There was no way Giovanni could have organized the attack; no, they had a new leader, or maybe they didn't have one at all, what with how fragmented the remnants of the formerly formidable gang of criminals seemed to be. Lance decided with himself that he would have to spend some more time looking into the matter of Neo-Rocket, but for the time being, his work was done. The village and the surrounding community was safe. Lance whipped out his Pokegear and looked through the numbers, until he found the one he was looking for; one he hadn't made use of in years, and for good reason. He dialed and waited until he heard the other end pick up.

"Hello?" A voice greeted on the other end of the line; masculine and sly, just the way he remembered. Lance hesitated, unsure of what to say after so long. "Who is this?" The voice asked. Lance inhaled sharply.

"You know very well who I am." He answered, "It's called call display." He said with a growl, as if to ask 'are you stupid?'. The voice on the other end of the line laughed.

"Why are you calling me? We haven't spoken in... How many years?" The voice asked, "I mean, I'm not complaining or anything..." Flirtatious, as always.

"Five years, now cut the bullshit." Lance said demandingly, "Do you know anything about what happened today?" Lance questioned, with a determined expression on his face.

"Um... Well, I woke up, got dressed-" The voice explained.

"Not that." Lance said with annoyance. "I mean, the attack on the little farming community in Kanto, the one that breeds Mareep." Lance explained with a scowl.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The man on the other end of the line asked.

"Is Team Rocket still around or not?!" Lance half-yelled into the phone, causing the man on the phone to laugh.

"Kind of." He answered. "No need to be so impatient, I was just teasing... I know exactly what you want." The voice said with a playful tone. "So, how have you been?" He asked.

"Fine, now seriously, enough of the games." Lance said, already losing his patience. "Tell me what you know." He said, as he paced around, wandering the forest outside of the town.

"Why would I do that? Last I heard, you were some sort of vigilante." The voice said, "I couldn't just sell out the people I work for... Unless you were willing to pay a good price." Lance sighed, knowing exactly what the man wanted in exchange for information.

"I can't... I don't do that sort of stuff anymore." Lance said with a frown. The man hummed in thought.

"That's okay... I mean, I miss our old fun, but you could always pay me another way, right?" The man bargained, as Lance made his way down the road at a slow pace.

"Nothing illegal..." Lance said, trudging along, being rather exhausted from the efforts of his day. "Okay, nothing_ too_ illegal." He changed his mind, brushing some dirt off of his shirt.

"No, of course not..." The man said comfortingly, "After all, you don't _do_ that anymore..." He said with a tone of amusement, as if mocking him.

"Just shut up and tell me what you want." Lance demanded, kicking dirt up on the path as he walked. "I've had a long day, and I'm really not in the mood for this, alright?"

"Fine, be a killjoy." The man on the phone grumbled. Lance's phone was picking up a bit of static as the call went on. "I just want you to get me... A Pokemon." He said, coming up with a request on the spot.

"Which one?" Lance asked, "What gender, how experienced, what kind of personality?" He questioned, practically making an interview out of the situation.

"I don't know... Zubat?" He said, confused. "I don't really care about the specifics." Lance snorted.

"Yeah, real original." Lance said, rolling his eyes. "Maybe I'll get you an Ekans and a Koffing while I'm at it. You could be the perfect Team Rocket stereotype." He said, almost mockingly.

"Well, fine, what do_ you _suggest?" The man asked, with a tone of annoyance. Lance smirked slightly. "And don't you dare say Dragonite."

"Damn, you've figured me out." Lance said with a chuckle. "I'll get you something good. Where can I meet you and when?"

"Tomorrow, at the old warehouse we used to hang out in." The voice requested. "So, does this mean we have a deal?" Lance nodded to himself.

"Yes, just try to dress like a normal person, alright?" Lance requested. The man on the other end of the call let out a groan of disappointment.

"Fine." The man said, expressing his compliance. Lance brushed his hair out of his face. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't keep me waiting, alright handsome?" He said with a playful tone. Lance rolled his eyes at the obvious flirting.

"I'll see you there." Lance said before hanging up. Lance began his search for a Pokemon he could catch for his exchange with his former friend. He searched in the grass for a good while, battling with various Pokemon until he came across one he thought would make a suitable present. A wild Roselia, with dew-spotted petals and a pretty, yet powerful look on its face. The two began their battle, and when the time was right, Lance tossed out a Pokeball in his first attempt at capture. Roselia was contained within the ball, and the Dragon Master watched with anticipation as it shook from the left, then to the right, to the left again before stopping dead center. A successful capture, and a fitting gift.

Satisfied, he hopped on the back of his Dragonite, mounting above the shoulders, and ordered his companion to fly him to Indigo Plateau, his 'office' and home. He walked in the doors and was immediately greeted by a doorman with 'Hello, Master Lance' and a smile. Lance smiled and nodded his head slightly in return. He received several more greetings and warm welcomes as he made his way down the halls; everybody who worked and resided at Indigo Plateau's Pokemon League knew who he was, and for good reason. He had spent nearly three years as a member of the League's Elite Four, and was the undisputed Champion for two years straight. He was, unsurprisingly, very popular at the League hall.

Lance made his way down the halls, checking his Pokegear for the time. He was late for dinner. Cursing below his breath, he quickly ran his fingers through his hair as he sped up his pace, trying to tidy himself up a little, but to no avail. He had plenty of assorted scrapes and bruises, some of them covered by his clothes, some of them exposed. He knew he had dirt on his shirt, pants, and cape, and one look at his boots made him cringe at the sight of the mud and dirt caked on the bottom after the Hell he'd been through that day. To top it all off, he was exhausted from the battles, both between Pokemon, and the physical fights he had gotten into himself. Team Rocket's members may have only fought using Pokemon when put up against children, but once somebody looked old enough, they felt no shame in picking fist fights with the trainers themselves.

Lance walked into the dining hall, looking tired and beat up. He got a few concerned gazes, but nobody brought it up with him in conversation. Lance smiled, noticing two of his fellow Elites sitting at the table together. Will and Koga, who were discussing something very quietly between themselves. Lance approached the two, leaning on a chair next to Will. He had a pretty feather in his hair, bright blue and stunning. He opened his mouth to speak, knowing he would regret it. Will was perhaps the only person at the Pokemon League who didn't kiss the ground he walked on; as unwelcoming as the Psychic was, it was honestly refreshing to be told 'no' in the crowd full of people who bent over backwards for him.

"Excuse me" Lance said with a smile, causing the two Elites to look up and over at him. He reached out and touched the feather in Will's hair gently, his fingers pricked with cold as he did. "I think you have something in your hair." He said, causing Will to give him a look of irritation. That was the downside of Will's cold behavior towards him; Will could be downright mean to him at times, even going so far as to nicknaming him the 'Dragon Bastard', a play on the nickname he had earned as a Dragon Master. "Is that from an ice bird?" He asked, although he full well knew it belonged to an Articuno from the first glance, "It's very cold to the touch." Will was practically glaring daggers at him.

The conversation would only go downhill from there. Criticisms, insults, and catty remarks were thrown his way all in a flurry from Will's mouth, leaving Lance feeling discouraged. He left the two Elites alone to eat his dinner, although he was no longer in the mood to eat. He wasn't sure why he bothered trying to be nice to Will, but he continued on in their game of predator and prey, unsure of who was playing which role. Was he chasing Will, or was Will hunting him down? He couldn't be sure. He finished his meal in silence. He had a plan, and he was determined to bring himself into Will's good graces, or at least make the Psychic be less hostile towards him. His plan would begin on that very night.

* * *

_**A/N:** Okay, so that chapter was a really short opener. I promise the next one will be significantly longer, it's already written and done with. I just wanted to get some Lance in right off the bat, and honestly, I intended for (what is now) the second chapter to be the first, but changed my mind on the spot and now we have this. For those of you who want more, don't worry, you will get it very soon!_

_That phone conversation was honestly not fun for me to write, and I could not figure out much to put in other than dialogue. I apologize for that, I promise to be a lot more detailed in the next chapter and onwards. For those curious, yes Lance was talking to a currently anonymous Team Rocket member, whose identity will be revealed eventually. If you have any pairings/shippings you would like to see, let me know and I'll try to sneak it in somewhere after chapter three. Thank you for reading!_


	2. A Proposal

_**A/N: **Alright so, here we are. A bit of a warning, this chapter does a bit of a backtrack. It takes place around the same time the first chapter took place, although this time focused on Will. Thank you to all of those who read, and a huge thanks for my own personal Lance, who was my muse for pretty much this entire thing. This would not be possible without you, thank you for supporting me throughout all of my creative process, no matter how strange._

_**Chapter Two:** A Proposal_  
_**Word Count:** 3,000 (roughly)_  
_**Characters: **Will, Koga, Lance**  
****Pairings:** Mild Gyroshipping (Koga/Will)_  
_**Warnings:** Sexual implications, some minor swearing_

* * *

The day had been nothing but ordinary, as far as it could be for an Elite. Wake up (fifteen minutes late), eat, practice, wait for a challenger. But there never were any challengers. The only kids who trained with their Pokemon to take on the League got lazy, they always did, and decided to simply play around with their Pokemon just for fun. The few who did continue training with dedication grew up and often became Gym Leaders, or wanderers in the forests and caves. Long story short, there was nothing to do most days but train and mess around. The rules of being an Elite were fairly simple: keep your Pokemon in top shape, and stay near by just in case a challenger decided to show up. Will had it the worst out of all of them. Being the newest, and least experienced of the Elite Four and the Champion, he was the first one up for battle, which meant he had to be able to get to his arena within a moment's notice. His leash was very, _very_ short.

He envied Lance, who roamed freely, going off to save some part of the world practically every day. Every time Lance went off on another adventure, he made it a point to ask Will if he wanted anything from his travels, a souvenir or a gift, like he was mocking Will for how he was kept inside all day. Lance annoyed him to no end. Lance the _Champion_, the_ Master_ Dragon Pokemon Trainer, the _Golden Man_ of the entire region and beyond; the way people sung his praises was sickening to him. He would be envious of Lance constantly overshadowing him, but prefered not to let himself be driven by emotions negative or positive, so he settled for ignoring Lance's presence when he was able to. He could tell it bothered the Champion to be rejected by him before even having the chance to befriend him - as a psychic he was more in tune with the energies of those around him - it amused him, to be able to frustrate the mighty Champion so easily, so he continued his unfair game.

On that particular day, Lance was nowhere to be found. He had left the night before to look into some attack in some city made by a gang of criminals; typical Lance. It was getting dark, and it was unlikely that anybody would be challenging the League on that day. Will had spent most of the day writing notes about his work with Pokemon, and entertaining a particularly restless Espeon of his, but it was getting dull. Lucky for him, it was near supper time. He made his way down to the dining hall, straightening his clothes a little as he walked. Despite the limitations placed on him, working at the Pokemon League had plenty of perks he wouldn't easily part with; a life of luxury, his own private living space free of rent, exquisite food served to him for every meal, getting paid more than he needed to sit around and train with his pokemon all day (admittedly, a large amount of his pay went towards dressing himself well and taking care of his appearance). Being an Elite, even the lowest of the four and Champion, had some very desirable positives, it almost made him happy to deal with how boring it was on most days. Almost.

He pulled out a seat for himself at the large dining table, brushing his shirt off one last time before sitting down. He had decided to wear something particularly nice to this meal, with the intention of catching a certain person's eye. He never strayed far from anything but formal wear, but tonight he took it up a notch. As always, he wore his mask. He never left his room without it, not for many years, even before he was a member of the Elite Four. He couldn't be bothered to explain why; tell somebody it was for _'personal reasons'_ or _'a fashion statement'_ and they dropped the subject pleasantly fast.

He was early for dinner, but not by too much. A few higher-up workers at the Pokemon League had already taken their seats, and were chatting among themselves. Will was too far away from them to join in, so he settled by tapping out interesting rhythms with his fingers, his polished nails clacking as they met the wooden table. He looked up as another dinner guest approached, straightening his posture when he saw who it was; Koga, who walked around to the other side of the table, taking a seat next to Will, with a small smile.

"Nice feather." Koga complimented, noticing it immediately, "Awful flashy though, you don't usually wear blue." He stated. The famed Poisoner, and yet he had barely any more freedom than Will did.

"Supposedly it's an Articuno feather, very hard to come by" Will stated. "I warned the merchant who sold it to me that he had better hope it was genuine for the price he was charging." Will recounted with a smirk. "Makes my whole head feel like a block of ice if I wear it for too long, I suppose that can be considered proof of its authenticity." He explained, stroking the feather softly.

"So, whose attention are you trying to catch by wearing one of your finest embellishments?" Koga questioned, knowing Will far more personally than anybody else who resided at Indigo Plateau; they had a bit of a history with each other, leading to the older man having a deeper understanding of the Psychic's actions and intentions.

"Ever the observant one, aren't we?" Will retorted, chuckling at the question, "Funny you should ask... I was looking to get_ your_ attention tonight." He admitted. "Today has been painfully uneventful, you see, and I would hate to waste it by not having at least a little fun..." He said, explaining his situation. He smiled, his cheeks tinged pink. "If you were available, I would love to spend some time in your..._ Intimate _company..." he said, emphasising his last words. Koga raised an eyebrow at him, before it set in. He appeared flustered for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Oh, I understand..." Koga said, nodding slightly. "As it happens, I will be alone tonight. I wouldn't mind if you paid me a visit to remedy my loneliness." He suggested, certain that Will would know his intentions. The two had a mutual understanding of their companionship; they were conveniently housed together, and they both had their primal urges that needed to be answered. It was a simple matter of assisting each other from time to time, as a friendly favour.

"It would be my_ pleasure._" Will said with a chuckle. Luckily, the two also understood their relationship was purely physical; no emotional attachments or jealousies to get in the way. "So, what about you? Anything worth telling happen to you today?" Will questioned.

"Nothing too special. I received a parcel today... My daughter sent me a small package of some materials I asked for her to gather." the Poisoner told. "I've been experimenting with them all day." He said with a smile. Will knew that grin all too well; passionate, yet dark - Koga had been making poisons. "So I sent her a gift of my own." He finished. "What were you up to today?" He questioned.

"Nothing new. Sitting inside, playing fetch with Espeon, writing." Will recounted with a sigh. "You don't plan on poisoning the food, do you?" He questioned with worry. Koga laughed.

"I thought you were psychic." Koga said jokingly. "If I planned on poisoning anybody, you would know before I could tell you." he said with amusement, "Wouldn't you?" he asked.

"You know me all too well." Will said, pleased. "Clever boy is catching on to my talents."

"_Boy? _My daughter is older than you. Not by much, but still." Koga laughed again. More guests were filing into the dining hall as their conversation went on. Will smirked playfully, leaning in close to the older man.

"Then that makes you a dirty old man, does it not?" Will muttered below his breath, not wanting anybody else to hear him "Considering how often you and I end up in bed together." The violette teased.

"I suppose you're right." Koga sighed, "You don't have a problem with that, do you?" he asked. Will hummed with amusement.

"If I did, don't you think I would end things between us?" Will questioned, "Honestly, I find it rather attractive. With age comes wisdom and... Experience..." he said with a lewd tone.

"You don't just _end_ things with a master of poisons, my dear." Koga responded. The two were quite used to sometimes disturbing comments towards each other, meant to be all in good, albeit strange, fun. Koga nearly laughed at the very concept of the two of them and their relationship. "Really, what exactly _do _you find 'attractive' about a twisted man who's old enough to be your father?" He asked, speaking in breathy tones.

"_Everything_." whispered Will, with a smile. "Damn, I don't think I can wait for this... I want you _now._.." He said, nearly moaning his words. Koga merely chuckled, placing a hand on Will's shoulder and squeezing gently.

"You believe in the power of the mind... I'm sure you can use that pretty little brain of yours to restrain yourself." Koga complimented. "I don't want to wait either. You probably shouldn't eat much tonight, just so you don't end up too sated for our fun." He suggested, always ready and willing to advise his subordinates; a gesture that came naturally to any father.

"I suppose you're right. Eat less, leave sooner..." Will remarked, accepting the fact that he would have to wait for his prize.

"Excuse me." A voice cut into the conversation the two were having. Will glanced up at Lance, who stood above the chair on Will's other side. Lance leaned in, touching Will's feather with a gentle touch. "I think you have something in your hair." He said with a smile, trying to crack a joke. Will had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Is that from an ice bird? It's very cold to the touch." He asked. Will noticed a few smudges of dirt on Lance's face and clothes, his hair a complete mess, sticking to his face with sweat. He was not impressed by how little concern the Champion had for how he presented himself.

"Articuno." Will clarified with an unfriendly tone, not amused by the Dragon Bastard's rude interruption. "How's saving the world going?" Will asked mockingly. Lance began to pull the chair back, as if to take a seat next to him. Will stopped him, grabbing the chair, "You can't sit here." Will stated, with no concern for being 'polite'. Lance raised an eyebrow at him, confused.

"Any reason why?" Lance questioned. Lance was always so damn happy, so smugly satisfied with himself. It was repulsive.

"Because that seat is reserved." Will answered. "Actually, that's a lie. I just don't want to sit with you and your after-adventure filth." He stated, causing Lance to look down and notice all the dirt that was caked onto his clothes. Everybody was well aware of his distaste for Lance. Supposedly, Lance kept trying to get close to him because he couldn't stand the rejection. He would just have to get over it and move on. "Would you leave us alone now? We were discussing something important until you so rudely interrupted us." Lance stared at the two of them, standing up straight.

"Yeah, I'm sure organizing your meaningless sex flings is really important. I'll leave you to it." Lance said, with a completely calm, and incredibly insulting tone before walking off. Will stared off after Lance for a moment before turning back to Koga, his chest heating up with annoyance.

"Did you tell him? I didn't." Will questioned, baffled. He thought they were at least a bit subtle about it. Koga shook his head.

"I see no glory in bragging to others about my conquests." Koga stated. "I've told you that what happens between us is strictly private unless you wanted otherwise. I'm no liar, Will." He shrugged his shoulders, just as confused as Will was. "I have no idea how he knows." Will stood up, the firm grip he had on his emotions beginning to loosen.

"This is _appalling... This_ is why I try to avoid him..." Will growled. "How _dare _he?!" Will made a noise of disgust, pushing his chair in. He was ready to march off and confront Lance when he felt the Poisoner grip him by the wrist.

"Close your eyes and breathe deeply." Koga ordered. "Don't cause a scene, they're serving the food now." Will turned towards Koga, frustrated.

"But he-!" Will started, only to be cut off by the older man.

"I thought you prided yourself on acting by logic, not by emotion." Koga reminded Will, who then sighed. Will sat back down, his hands shaking slightly. He tried to exercise deep breathing to calm himself, but found it wasn't working. "We have a great night ahead of us. If you still feel the need to talk to Lance, do it tomorrow. You can let out all of your aggression on _me_."

"His room is right above yours." Will realized, the pieces clicking together. "He _heard_ us, who knows how many times."

"Do you want us to move our arrangement to your room instead?" Koga offered, as Will struggled to regain his composure, a look of horror on his face.

"No." Will answered, with no uncertainty in his voice. "I_ want_ him to hear us tonight." He stated boldly, with the intention of upsetting Lance. "I won't let him scare me."

"Hurry up and eat, then." Koga said, piling food onto his plate. Will did as he was told, his movements fluid and graceful. The two ate, mostly in silence, occasionally making comments about the food, until Lance stood.

"Is that all for you, Master Lance?" a server asked, quietly.

"Yes... I don't have much of an appetite tonight." Lance said, sounding troubled. He was so easily affected by his emotions, it was pathetic. "Tell the chef the food was wonderful, as always." He requested before leaving for his room, glancing over at Will, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment. Will hurried to finish what was left on his plate.

"Slow down, he's not going anywhere tonight." Koga said. "Have some wine and relax." He said with a smooth voice, grabbing a bottle of berry wine. He poured a glass for himself, and for Will. The man always had a way of speaking that could manage to coax his opponents into a state of submission, and Will, however strong-willed he was, could not help but succumb to it. He smiled slightly, taking his glass and holding it up to his lips eagerly.

"Don't mind if I do." Will said, hoping that alcohol might be able to provide him with some small comfort from the incident with the Dragon Bastard earlier. Will looked off at the door Lance had left through, as if wishing for him to return with that pitiful, hurt look on his face he got from being rejected. He pushed the thought out of his mind and drowned his troubles in another gulp of wine, leaning back in his chair a little.

Koga watched with a smile as the Psychic eagerly got his fill of intoxication. Toxic in more than one way, for he had a vial of poison hidden and pouring from his sleeve while he had served Will his drink; an unusual form of foreplay the Psychic had grown accustomed to when dealing with the Poisoner. It wasn't particularly often that the ninja would use poisons on his young bedmate - too often would cause health complications from the repeated damage to his body - but the use of poison certainly made a night in the bedroom more interesting, and made the Psychic more submissive. Will glanced over at him as he set his glass down, violet eyes twinkling from under his mask.

"What do you think?" Koga asked, sipping from his own glass slowly. Will was always a fast drinker, and surprisingly quick to get drunk.

"It's good. What kind of berry is this? Mint?" Will questioned with wonder, taking a bite of his food, his delicate jaw making small movements as he chewed. Koga felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he felt a stockinged foot rubbing against his leg sensually, no doubt belonging to the violette.

"Yes, very observant of you." Koga complimented, as Will rose his glass to his lips again to wash down his food. "Don't drink too much, we wouldn't want you too drunk to remember our fun." He advised, reaching a hand under the table, placing it on the Psychic's leg and rubbing his thigh gently, causing Will to gasp softly with arousal. Will finished the rest of his drink, suspecting nothing of the ninja. Koga knew that Will occasionally peered into the minds of others, sometimes without meaning to, and it was always difficult to hide anything from the Psychic. Lucky for him, he knew how to focus his mind on keeping his secrets hidden, even from a mind-reader like Will. Koga set his utensils down on his empty plate and rose from his seat. "I'm done now. Come find me when you're ready." He said, patting Will on the head affectionately as he passed.

Will smiled, finishing off his meal, his fork balancing on his hand with a gentle grip. He poured himself another half glass of wine and sipped it, rather excited for the night ahead of him. He paused slightly in his wine-tasting for a moment, feeling something... Wrong.

A feeling in the air was trying to tell him that there was something off about the situation, and he felt something unsettling in the pit of his stomach. A thought, an intention from Koga's mind drifted to him; he sought to bring harm to the Psychic. The bastard had poisoned him. Will's eyebrows lowered, he shoved his foot back into his shoe and stood up quickly, angered by the Ninja's deceit. He nearly threw his glass down on the table and charged off in the direction of Koga's room.

* * *

_**A/N Some more: **And that's how the chapter closes. Every closing of a chapter feels like a big accomplishment to me. I'm not very good at wrapping things up._

_Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. No real Masqueradeshipping yet, you're going to have to wait for that. As for Koga and Will's 'history' together, that will be elaborated on eventually. I actually don't know where I'm going to fit that explanation in. I do have one already, I just don't know where to put it, so I apologize for this very vague promise of "just whenever it fits"._

_If there are any characters or pairings you'd be interested in seeing, let me know in a reply or PM, and I'll do what I can to slip them in. I can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can._


	3. Fantasy

_**A/N: **Here we are. Three chapters in already, and the pace is starting to pick up on something actually interesting. As always, thank you for reading, and thank you to my Lance for being my driving force and inspiration. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to continue, just because I feel as though I'm writing this to see no outcome. People are viewing, and apparently reading, but as far as I'm aware, they are taking no interest in the continuation of it, so it feels like I'm doing this for absolutely no reason. Needless to say, it is discouraging. However, I have already written too much ahead to stop now. So, I have no choice but to continue._

_**Chapter Three:** Fantasy_  
_**Word Count:** 3,800 (roughly)_  
_**Characters: **Will, Koga, Lance_  
_**Pairings:** Gyroshipping (Koga/Will), implied Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will)_  
_**Warnings:** Mild sexuality, some minor swearing_

* * *

Lance's thoughts were drawn to Will as he walked down the hall to his room, and a part of him wanted to return to the dining hall to see the Psychic again, but he knew he wouldn't have been welcomed - he never was when it came to Will. Lance was nothing less than exhausted by Will's stubborn aggression toward him. He kept trying to be nice, to earn some amount of the Psychic Master's favor, but some way, somehow Will always found a way to interpret his attempts at friendliness as some sort of shaming.

His journey through the building went by with a blur, too busy replaying the situation from earlier inside his head for him to notice where he was going or what he was doing. He couldn't find a way to stray from his thoughts of the Psychic. He was annoyed by Will's bratty attitude, but he was even more upset with himself for losing his cool with the Psychic that night. It was just another thing for Will to hold against him. He sighed to himself as he laid in his bed, mentally punishing himself for not thinking before he acted.

"You poisoned me, you bastard!"

Lance sat up as he heard muffled shouting from below. He furrowed his brow, wondering what was going on.

"Where is it? Where did you hide the antidote?!" The voice definitely belonged to Will. It would seem that Koga had poisoned the Psychic's dinner, although he wasn't sure what Will was worrying about; the violette was a powerful mentalist, and surely shared the same immunity to poison that his Pokemon did.

"You're not the only one who has mastery over their mind." Said Koga, a bit harder to hear when he wasn't yelling like Will. "I may not be psychic, but I know how to hide my thoughts from one. _You_ of all people should know this." He said. Lance got up, beginning to make his way downstairs. If saving Will from distress wouldn't earn him some respect, nothing would.

Downstairs, Will had gotten Koga to his bed, and was straddling the older man's hips, the two of them fully clothed, although that wouldn't last long. "I make my poisons especially potent for you... I know you have some resistance to them." Koga said, as Will reached inside Koga's shirt, tearing it open in his search for the antidote. "Keep searching, you're getting close." he said, enjoying having the young one on top of him in such a position, his hands grasping at Will's waist gently.

"How many pockets do you even_ have_?" Will questioned, feeling around for anything that could contain an antidote. He let out a noise of pain and pulled his hand out of Koga's shirt as he pricked his finger on something; a throwing star, of course. Koga chuckled.

"Two." He answered, as Will sucked the blood from the finger he had cut. Will stared up at him, with a look that expressed his disbelief.

"And how many _hidden _pockets?" he questioned. Koga burst into a full laugh. Will slipped his hand inside a small pocket in the breast of Koga's robe, pulling out a vial of liquid. He was about to uncap it when Koga snatched it from him with fast reflexes.

"Ah, do you really think it's that easy?" Koga asked. He uncapped the antidote, holding it out of Will's grasp. "If you want it, you'll have to take it from me."

"I just did, and you took it back." Will grumbled with annoyance.

"Not like that." Koga said with a smile. He poured the antidote into his mouth and tossed the empty vial aside. Will's eyes widened, and he grabbed Koga, forcefully pulling the other man on top of him, falling onto his back. He grabbed the older man by his hair and forced their mouths together, pushing Koga's lips apart with his tongue. He tasted the bitter liquid as it flowed into his mouth, and he drank it down desperately. He prodded inside Koga's mouth with his tongue for anything else, and found nothing. He withdrew, pushing Koga off of him with anger.

"What exactly did you poison me for?!" Will asked, sitting up, his lips pulled tightly into a frown. "Why paralysis? You know how I feel about paralytic poisons." Will said, his voice expressing fear and sadness.

"Don't think you're safe just yet. That was only half of your dose." Koga stated with a cruel smile. "I've hidden the other one somewhere you won't find it. The only way you'll get it is by doing everything I say". Koga stated. Will stared at him, his face expressing defeat.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Will asked, suddenly compliant. Koga reached for Will, gently sliding the feather out of his hair, placing it on his bedside table.

"Take your clothes off." he ordered. Will sighed and began disrobing himself, as Koga slipped out of his shirt. Koga had a strong build; not quite as bulky as Bruno, but much stronger than Will. The only way Will could push him around was if he allowed it. Koga watched with amusement as the violette stripped down. They had undressed in front of each other countless times, and yet Will never got over his nervousness - he always looked like an awkward teen going through his first time when he undressed. He found it cute, if a bit unnecessary.

"What now?" Will tossed his clothes aside, and waited for his next instructions. He had left his mask on, like he always did. Koga asked why several times, never getting a clear answer. He tried to take Will's mask off the first time they had shared a bed together, and the violette reacted with fury and violence. He decided not to try it again unless he had a death wish.

"Lay down." the Poisoner ordered, as he disposed of his own clothes. Will did as he was told, staring up at Koga with eyes of lavender. He loved the way the young one looked in his bed, every soft curve and dip of him beckoned for indulgence. "Stay there." He said, getting up and walking away from his bed to fetch an ornamental vase. He pulled a flower from the vase, and returned to Will, sitting by his side. He placed the flower near his mouth. "Here." he offered it to Will, who bit off the head of the flower and started chewing.

"Is this my anti-?"

"No, I just wanted to see if you would eat the flower." Koga smiled. He reached over for his bedside table, opening the drawer and pulling out another vial. Hidden in a place so obvious, none would suspect it. "You've been very good, my dear..." he complimented, stroking Will's hair like a prized pet. "Sit up just a little and I'll give it to you."

"Give what? My cure or..?" Will asked, sitting up. Koga uncapped the antidote, getting on top of Will and placing the vial to his lips. He adjusted Will's position as the Psychic drank down the rest of his cure, grabbing the violette's legs and guiding him to bend his knees.

"You look just like her." Koga said. Will looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Who?" Will asked, placing the empty vial on the bedside table. Koga leaned down, kissing the violette's neck roughly.

"Solana. My ex-wife." Koga said with a mumble against Will's skin, bringing a hand up to his mouth so he could wet his fingers.

"You don't even know what I look like." Will said, confused. He made a soft noise of strain as Koga prepared him for what was to come, penetrating him with calloused fingers.

"Your body is small and pale, like hers." Koga clarified. "I don't need to see your face to know that." he said, returning to kissing Will's neck and chest to distract him from his pain. "Try to relax... You think you'd be used to this by now." Koga spat into his hand, rubbing it on himself as he positioned himself to enter. Will whimpered in pain as the older man pressed into him, grasping Koga's shoulders tightly.

"That doesn't mean it doesn't, ah..." Will moaned, his voice squeaking with pain as the older man intruded into his body, "That it doesn't hurt..." He said, letting out a noise of discomfort, his nails digging into the older man's shoulders. Koga ignored Will's obvious hurting, knowing the violette would soon get used to it, and continued moving his hips back and forth, steadily working up a pace to his movements.

"Play innocent all you like, but you enjoy rough play more than anything." Koga stated knowingly Will whimpered in mixed pain and ecstasy as Koga took what he wanted from his body, with no gentleness or care taken as he used the violette for his pleasure. From what he gathered, that was how Will wanted to be treated, otherwise he would never be so rough - in the past, he had handled his former wife like a work of glass.

"Hurt me..." the violette begged with a moan. Without hesitation, he leaned in and bit Will's shoulder, much to the Psychic's enjoyment. He had always wondered how a body so small and fragile could survive such abuse without much more than a few scattered bruises.

Meanwhile, Lance wandered the outside of the League building, searching for another way into Koga's living quarters. The door was locked, but he knew he heard Will in pain somewhere inside. He approached a large window, and searched for the latch. He noticed the window was the slightest bit open, and he pushed it the rest of the way in. With a powerful leap, he jumped up upon the window frame, swinging his legs around and landing as quietly as he possibly could. He pushed the window closed, and listened for something, anything to give him a clue towards Will's location. He approached Koga's bedroom, following the sound of anguished moaning; he swore he could hear Will sobbing. That was all the excuse he needed to kick the door in, drawing the attention of the room's occupants, Will and Koga, who were laying in bed together wearing nothing but shocked expressions and a bed sheet.

"Lance?" Koga questioned, shifting slightly before getting off of Will and laying beside the violette. Lance stared at the two, dumbfounded.

"Hi, I um..." Lance tried to explain. "I thought that..." The entire situation was getting very uncomfortable very fast. "Never mind." He said, turning away to hide his face, red with embarassment "Sorry." he mumbled as he walked away with a hurried pace.

Koga and Will laid in bed for a moment, until Lance was out of sight. Will sat up with a scowl, making a noise of disgust as he rose from the bed. He grabbed a small towel off of the floor, wrapping it around his waist quickly to cover up his unmentionables. He quickly caught up to Lance, grabbing him by the shoulder, causing the Dragon Master to turn to him.

"Do you mind telling me what exactly is wrong with you?!" Will snarled, not afraid to let Lance know how displeased he was. Lance stammered, struggling to come up with an explanation as he stared at a scantily clad Will.

"I-I thought you were in danger, I was going to help you..." Lance said, turning his gaze away so as to not have to stare at Will, who only seemed angrier.

"Why?" Will questioned, "What makes you think that what happens to me is _any_ of your concern?" Will asked, his voice low and harsh.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have intruded." Lance apologized. Will pitied how quick the Champion was to turn meek.

"You need to leave me alone." Will growled, "I keep trying to make it clear to you that I don't want you involved in my life." the violette explained, his hands on his hips, "I suppose subtlety is something new to you." he said with an insulting tone.

"You wrote me off before I could even speak to you." Lance stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Any logical creature would at least try something out before they decided whether or not they liked it." Lance pointed out. He wasn't able to read minds like Will, but he knew how to get to the violette; any questioning of his intelligence was sure to get a compliant response, as made evident by the way Will stared at the Champion for a moment before sighing.

"Why are you so desperate to know me?" Will asked, his voice softer, less agressive.

"I'm not answering that unless you agree to at least let me try." Lance responded, having played Will right into his hands; at this point, the violette had no choice but to cooperate with him.

"What does 'trying to know me' entail?" Will questioned, submitting himself to whatever Lance had in mind. Lance smiled slightly, knowing he had won.

"Tomorrow, we'll spend the day together. Not as enemies, or as Elites. Just as regular people." Lance offered. Will thought about the offer for a minute.

"I suppose I have no choice." Will sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. "I accept. Tomorrow I will join you on whatever endeavours you have in mind." Will agreed finally, Lance holding back his joy. "Don't get too excited, you know I'm stuck inside all the time." Will warned, having picked up on Lance's happiness.

"Thank you!" Lance said, truly greatful for even the chance to prove himself. Will nodded quickly and turned his back on Lance, only to be stopped. "Wait, I was wondering..." Lance started.

"Yes?" Will asked, turning his face toward Lance.

"Do you really wear that mask even when you're in bed?" Lance questioned. Will stared up at Lance, taken aback by how straightforward he was.

"Only when I have company in bed." Will answered, still a bit shaken by Lance's ponderings. "You could have learned that yourself, had you not turned down my offered intimacy." Will reminded him. Lance chuckled a little.

"I told you, I don't swing that way." Lance countered. It was Will's turn to laugh.

"Meaning you don't desire other men, or you don't desire intimacy without commitment?" Will questioned. Lance opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off. "That was a rhetorical question, I already know what the answer is." Will stated with devilish playfulness, turning away again. Lance stared at the violette as he walked off.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Lance called out after Will. The psychic didn't turn to face him, merely raised a hand and wiggled his fingers as his way of waving good-bye.

Will returned to Koga's living chambers, sighing as he reentered Koga's bedroom. The other man was reading a book, and he looked up as Will approached, whipping the towel off from around his waist and getting back in bed.

"What took you?" Koga questioned, placing his book away before getting back on top of the violette. Will stared up at him, placing his hands on Koga's shoulders.

"Lance." Will stated with annoyance. "He wants to spend more time with me." He explained, although he didn't seem particularly upset about it, which was unusual for him.

"You almost sound happy about that." Koga remarked with a teasing tone, "I'm starting to think you have a little crush on our Champion." Will's dull facade faltered for a moment to express great shock.

"I have no interest in superficial emotional attachments to other humans." Will said, although it wasn't clear whether he was trying to convince Koga or himself. "I am dependant on nobody."

"Is that why you go out of your way not to be involved with Lance?" Koga questioned. "Because he compromises your ability to be distant and detached from your emotions?" Will snarled.

"I-It has nothing to do with my emotions." Will stuttered, losing his composure.

"Really?" Koga questioned, pushing Will's limits, "Because the rare times I have seen you feel any significant amount of any emotion, it's been caused by him." Koga said, as Will pushed him aside. Will attempted to get up, only to be grabbed by the Poisoner, forcefully pulled on top of the other man.

"I feel nothing." Will demanded, although he no longer sounded sure of it. He tried to pull away from Koga, but alas could not.

"Except when he's around." Koga said, "And that's why you push him away. You're afraid of how he takes away your ability to be numb" Will, frustrated, desperately tried to yank himself out of Koga's grip. "You think you are so impossible to unravel, you forget how long I've been watching you... I can see right through the mind games and the masks." He reminded the young violette, who seemed offended by his statement.

"You know nothing of me!" Will shouted. "You have no grounds for your accusations!" Koga suddenly shifted his grip, releasing Will's wrists and grabbing him by the waist. "Let go of me!" Will demanded, only to be ignored.

"We never finished our fun. You owe me." Koga stated, positioning Will on top of him where he wanted.

"I no longer desire your companionship for tonight..." Will said, struggling against Koga. "You've worn my patience thin."

"Let me make it up to you..." Koga offered, "It'll make you feel better, relieve your tension." Will sighed, knowing that, again, he was out of options.

"Fine." Will said, surrendering himself. Today was a day of losses for him.

"You could pretend I'm Lance if you want." Koga said jokingly, causing Will to roll his eyes.

"What makes you think I don't do that on any other occasion?" Will teased. Koga laughed.

"Do you?" the Poisoner asked.

"Of course not." Will answered. Koga hummed with skepticism. "... It was only a couple times." Will admitted, grunting as Koga pushed him onto his back again. "I can't really be blamed, he's young and-" he was silenced by Koga's mouth coming down hard on his. Will kissed back eagerly, forgetting the frustration Koga had caused him mere moments ago.

Still, the thought of being in bed with the Dragon Master lingered, even as his body was ravished and brutalized in ways he knew Lance would never do. He had fantasized of the Champion more times than he would ever admit, often without meaning to. This night was no exception. He moaned the wrong name, causing the Poisoner a moment of confusion. He apologized quickly, only to be dismissed.

"Think of whoever you want." Koga reassured him, "I promised you I would hold no attachment or jealousy over our partnership." He reminded, as he continued to pleasure himself with the violette's body. Will closed his eyes and pictured the Dragon Master on top of him, touching him, pleasuring him selflessly. Somehow he enjoyed the thought of it more than the passionless sex he was accustomed to, perhaps he was simply bored of routine for that night.

Will opened his eyes as he felt the weight on top of him lifting away. He looked at Koga, who was now laying at his side, his chest rising and falling fast with panted breaths.

"Done already?" Will questioned. "I know you're older than me, but usually you can last longer than this..." Koga glanced over at him with a look of exhaustion.

"We were at it for over an hour." Koga stated, his words breathy. "I could barely finish when you kept moaning for your boyfriend."

"What? Who?" Will questioned, confused. Koga raised an eyebrow.

"Lance..?" Koga said, as if questioning why Will seemed so unsure of what he meant. "You kept saying his name." he said, "How do you not remember this? _You_ were the one who was saying it." Will got out of bed, finding his clothes on the floor, right in the spot where he left them.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend." Will insisted as he pulled his pants on, his back turned to Koga.

"You act like he is." Koga stated. Will laughed at the ridiculous suggestion, pulling on his undershirt, then his coat.

"He asked me out on some sort of date while I was talking to him in the hall." Will said, amused. He stood up, and turned to face the Poisoner, who was getting dressed himself.

"Did you say yes?" Koga questioned, genuinely interested. Will sat back down, not realizing how exhausted he was until that moment.

"He gave me no choice but to." Will said, crawling over the bed to get to the older man, sitting behind him and waiting for him to finishing clothing himself. "Manipulative bastard knows how to get what he wants." Will said with a grumble, "I underestimated his ability to observe."

"How cute." Koga said, pulling his shirt on, folding his robe closed. "I wouldn't take him too lightly, though. He's the Champion for a reason, he's good at spotting weaknesses. He'll exploit them to his advantage if he has to." Will watched as Koga stood and turned towards him. Koga leaned in a pressed a rough kiss to the violette's lips, pulling the young one to his feet with a swift movement. "Would you like to have a practice battle in my arena?" Koga questioned after they parted.

"I would." Will smiled, "I'll go get a team together and meet you there." Will said as he was making his way towards Koga's door, leaving with a hurry. Will walked with a quickened pace, terribly embarrassed to find out how he had been moaning for Lance the whole time he was in bed, especially when he had been directly under the Dragon Bastard's room. He wasn't looking forward to seeing the redhead the next day, if only because it could easily lead to an awkward encounter between them.

He hesitated as he reached his door, his hand pausing as he reached for the handle. No, Lance didn't mind, perhaps he enjoyed it secretly - or at least, that was what he could feel when he peered into Lance's thoughts. The benefits of being a psychic: he now felt safe to believe that Lance was a closet pervert. Will smiled to himself. Perhaps his date with Lance would prove to be quite pleasant after all.

* * *

_**A/N: **Another chapter down, and I feel pretty damn good about it. __As always, if there are any pairings you would like to see, let me know and I will try my best to squeeze it in somewhere, do a shout-out to it, or anything of that sort. Thanks for reading, have a lovely day/afternoon/night._


	4. Striking a Deal

_**A/N:** Alright, I'm back. Enjoy your chapter. Thank you to my own personal Lance for inspiring me to keep going even when it feels pointless._

_**Chapter Four:** Striking a Deal_  
_**Word Count:** 3,600 (roughly)_  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, Proton out of nowhere_  
_**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will) fluffs_  
_**Warnings:** Minor swearing_

* * *

The following morning, Lance awoke bright and early. He had been unable to get to sleep for a good while, with all the noises coming from the floor below. He barely managed to pull himself out of bed, but he had important things to do if his plans to spend the day with Will were to go on the way he had in mind. He changed into his day clothes, and picked out his finest cape to wear for the day. He was sure to pick up a particular Dragonite before he made his way out.

Lance soon arrived at the League's power generators. Everybody else was asleep at the time, so it had been easy to sneak out unnoticed. He brought out his Dragonite, who let out a noise of joy, leaning down and nuzzling the Dragon Master's outstretched hand. Lance smiled, giving the large dragon an affectionate scratch on the neck.

"Hey buddy, I need you to help me out here." Lance said, turning towards the power generator. The Dragonite looked down at him questioningly. "Just trust me on this one."

Will woke to the feeling of a weight on his bed. He opened his eyes, turning to the source; none other than Lance, who had apparently earned the good will of his Espeon, who was crawling into the Champion's lap, tail wagging with joy. Will couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I like you too." Lance said to Espeon with amusement. "It's funny, they say that Pokemon respond strongly to the feelings of their master, especially Psychic types like you..." Lance said, as Espeon curled up in his lap. Lance scratched Espeon behind the ears. "So either what I heard is wrong, or Will doesn't hate me as much as he wants people to believe." He remarked, as Espeon made a noise of content. "I like the second choice. What do you think?" Lance questioned. Espeon looked up at him, tail whipping against the bed happily. Will turned away, grabbing his mask from his bedside table and putting it on quickly.

"Are you done?" Will asked Lance, who glanced over at him. Will sat up, attracting the attention of his Espeon, who got out of Lance's lap, greeting his trainer with delight. Will caught Espeon in an embrace, kissing the purple creature on the nose gently. "Good morning." He greeted Espeon with a smile.

"I thought you only wore that mask in bed when you had company." Lance remarked, as Espeon darted around the bed, unsure of who he wanted to play with.

"I put it on when I realized I had a guest." Will said, reaching out for Espeon a moment too late, for the creature had slipped out of his grasp, pouncing on the Dragon Master, knocking him onto his back "I'm sorry," Will said, embarrassed, "He doesn't normally get this excited." Lance laughed, not minding at all.

"It's fine, he's affectionate. It's cute." Lance said, as he play-wrestled with Espeon. Will rose from his bed, making his way towards his wardrobe.

"Just so we're clear, the _only_ reason why I'm not yelling at you right now is because I don't want to upset Espeon." Will said, knowing that his Espeon was quick to scare when he was in a bad mood.

"Why would you yell at me?" Lance questioned, feigning innocence. Lance noticed a wine-red ribbon tied around the Espeon's neck in a fancy bow. Apparently Will liked his Pokemon to look just as refined as he did.

"Well, you did break into my room." Will stated. Lance smiled as Espeon tried to swat at him with his purple paws.

"I was sent here to tell you that the power went out this morning, actually." Lance said, "The generator overloaded and now it's busted." Lance explained, as Will picked out his clothes for the day. "They won't be able to fix it until a repair crew comes in, and even then the actual fixing stuff might take a while." Lance informed.

"_So_..?" Will questioned. Lance turned his head towards Will just as the violette had begun to strip out of his night clothes. Majestic shades of purple and gold silk ever so easily slid off of the violette's shoulders to reveal pale flesh. His cheeks heated up with a blush as he watched; he meant to avert his eyes out of respect, but something urged him to keep watching.

"_So,_ you get the day off. Probably the one after that, too." Lance said, with some difficulty, having to swallow a lump that was forming in his throat as he watched Will undress, though it scarcely helped. Will looked over his shoulder to see Lance, staring at him.

"Do you mind?" Will questioned. Lance apologized and turned away, his blush deepening. "So, I suppose you plan on taking me somewhere?" Will questioned, putting on a velvety shirt. Lance continued to entertain Espeon, who was flopping around on his back. He was trying to get the image of Will undressing out of his mind - it wasn't working.

"Yeah." Lance said, scratching Espeon's chest gently; playing with the creature was at least a way to occupy his mind. Will finished dressing himself quickly. "You're being suprisingly non-hostile today." Lance noted with a happy tone.

"You said it yourself." Will explained, "A creature of logic does not make judgments without a valid reason." Will got back on his bed, reaching over Lance to grab Espeon, lifting the creature up carefully. "You have done me no wrongs, so I have no reason to treat you coldly... _Yet_." Lance looked over at Will.

"You look nice." Lance complimented, sitting up and brushing a few stray Espeon hairs off of his shirt. The image of an angry Will, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, from mere hours ago came back into his mind at a very inopportune moment, and now he had nothing to distract him from such lewd thoughts. Even worse, he had remembered the noises. He still wasn't sure if he had truly heard Will moaning his name, or if wishful thinking had gotten out of hand the night before.

"Thank you, that was the point." Will said as he straightened himself out, brushing his hair quickly. "So, breakfast?" he questioned. "Normally I eat here, but I suppose the power outage might make that difficult." Will speculated as Lance struggled to subdue his thoughts.

"Leave it to me." Lance smiled. "I know the perfect place." he said, rising to his feet. He offered Will a hand, only to be rejected. Will returned his Espeon to its Pokeball before standing up.

"Shall we?" Will asked. Lance bowed his head respectfully.

"Of course." Lance said, walking towards Will's bedroom door. He held it open for Will, who accepted the generosity with slight disdain. The two made it to the hallway, and Will couldn't help but notice how dark the halls were with the power out. Lance looked over at Will, who was noticably uncomfortable.  
"Afraid of the dark, huh?" Lance questioned. Will looked over at him, scowling a little. "A lot of Psychic specialists have that problem." Lance said, his attempt at reassurance.

"I admit, I _do_ share some weaknesses with my Pokemon..." Will said. "It's just a nervous reaction. I instictively feel uncomfortable in the dark..." He said with a tense voice, his own way of playing tough. "Nothing I can't handle." Will said.

"Really?" Lance asked, "Because I can see your hands shaking." He pointed out. Will immediately shoved his hands in his pockets to hide them. "It's nothing to be ashamed of... I think it's cute." Lance remarked with a smile.

"I-I'm not scared..." Will said, he cursed his voice for failing to be steady the one moment he really needed it to be. Lance reached out and touched Will's arm gently. Will flinched and yelped, jumping away from Lance with shock. His heart pounded in his chest, and it took him a moment to catch his breath.

"Hey, it's just me..." Lance said, making sure Will could see him before he tried to touch him again. He placed a hand on Will's shoulder gently. "Will, that's a _lot_ more than a little 'nervous reaction'..." he said.

"Can we just leave? I don't like being in here when it's so dark..." Will requested, looking away from Lance, embarrassed.

"I noticed." Lance said. "Listen, I'm not going to let anything happen to either of us. You don't have to be nervous." Will heaved in a breath and straightened himself, regaining his composure.

"I don't need your help." Will said coldly, turning away from Lance and continuing down the hallway. Lance followed along, confused by Will's sudden change in attitude. "I'm not a helpless child..."

"I never said you were." Lance assured, confused by the comment, "It's okay to be afraid sometimes. Everybody has their issues." Lance said, as Will made his way out into the morning light.

"Except for _you_, right?" Will questioned. Lance nearly laughed at the suggestion.

"No... There are things in this world that terrify me..." Lance admitted.

"Really? I thought you were flawless; perfect." Will said with a roll of his eyes. The violette was noticeably more comfortable now that he was bathing in the early rays of the sun. Lance turned his face towards the ground, shaking his head and smiling.

"You really think that?" Lance questioned, amused at how ridiculous the thought was. "Trust me, I'm not. I've done my own fair share of stupid shit I wish I could take back... More than most people can say for themselves." Lance said, his voice indicating regret, almost guilt. Will watched Lance's face distort as the Dragon Master expressed emotion, curious and almost feeling sorry for him. Lance looked up at him, brushing it off with a smile. "But enough of that. We have places to go." He released two of his Pokemon; Dragonites, unsurprisingly. "We're going to fly to our destination." He said, mounting his Dragonite above the shoulders. Will followed suit with some struggle, not quite used to the large dragons that the Champion was so fond of.  
"Alright, guys." Lance said, addressing his Dragonites, "We're going to Johto." He informed them, as the two orange dragons began to flap their wings, lifting off of the ground gradually. Will lunged forward, grasping his Dragonite tightly around the neck with shock and worry.

Soon, the two were in the sky, the world below appearing as if it were merely a toy scenery of little trees and buildings. Will marveled at the view of the world from above, the wind whipping through his hair. He looked over at Lance, who was perfectly at home in the air with his dragon companions. He looked happy, he truly did love and care for his Pokemon. Will couldn't help but admire him for his passion, and he smiled over at Lance as he watched, his fear of flying on dragonback dissolving away. He was safe with Lance, and his ridiculous Dragonites.

Nearly two hours had passed before Lance ordered his dragons to descend. They obeyed their orders without question, swooping down with a sharp spiraling turn. True mastery, and style to go with it; he would never admit that he was already truly impressed with the Dragon Master. They had landed in a large industrial town; Goldenrod City. Will recognized it from his travels.

Lance hopped off of his Dragonite's back with ease, and Will attempted to do the same after seeing how easy it was for Lance. He failed terribly, stumbling, his leg getting caught as he attempted to swing it around the Dragonite's thick neck, and he soon found himself plummeting towards the ground face-first. He panicked, crying out and stretching his arms in front of him to save his face from the impact. With inhumanly fast speed, Lance was there by Will's side, catching the violette in his arms just before he hit the ground, bent over on one knee. Will's heart was beating hard in his chest as Lance lifted him back up onto his feet, still in shock from the falling scare he had just experienced.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked, his hands still touching the Psychic gently. "Probably should have warned you about the drop." He said apologetically, as Will turned so he could face Lance. "I faceplanted enough times on my own because of my Dragonite's thick neck." He said with a chuckle, causing Will to smile, his heart still pounding. He wasn't quite sure if his heart was racing in the aftershock of his almost-fall, or if he was simply thrilled to be so close to the Dragon Master.

"Thanks for catching me." the violette breathed, his cheeks heating up as he considered the fact that he had just quite literally_ fallen _for Lance, who was smiling at him. He opened his mouth and hesitated, realizing how pathetic it was for him to be practically swooning over the Dragon Bastard. "And thanks for not warning me!" He hissed, suddenly shutting off all of the tenderness and touchy-feely warmness, pulling away from Lance's gentle embrace with a glare.

"I'm sorry, I should have said something." Lance apologized, thrown off by Will's sudden change in attitude. "I actually have a quick stop to make, I agreed to a trade deal with an old friend of mine." He explained, withdrawing his two Dragonites. "We were just going to meet up at a warehouse in town, get it done with, and then go our separate ways." Will stared at Lance with a scowl.

"Right. So, let's go then?" Will asked. Lance nodded, leading Will down a few twists and turns around town, his cape billowing behind him as he walked. The two approached an old warehouse, tall and wide, with rippled metal walls and no windows. A man with bright teal hair leaned against the side of the building, his arms crossed over his chest, tapping on his arm with his fingers. Lance approached the man, who glanced over at the redhead and smiled. Will made sure to keep his distance, feeling discomfort in the pit of his stomach; the man radiated bad energy.

"Hey, long time no see." the teal haired man said warmly, his catlike eyes gleaming. Lance reached out to shake hands, only to be pulled into a full embrace. Will watched as Lance tensed up at the sudden closeness. "And you look better than ever." The man complimented. Will glared as the other man hit on his 'date'.

"Uh, thanks." Lance said, his voice flat and uninterested. "Can we just get this over with? I'm here with my friend, I don't want to keep him waiting." the Dragon Bastard explained, causing the teal haired man to glance over Lance's shoulder at Will, who frowned.

"I didn't even notice you had company with you." The man said, "How rude of me." He smiled. Will didn't like the situation he was in; the stranger's presence was overwhelming him with fear, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and run away, but he knew he couldn't. "So who is your cute friend?" the teal haired man asked. For once, Will felt completely repulsed by having a man his own age flirting with him. Lance looked over his shoulder at Will and gestured for him to come closer. The Psychic hesitated, but soon advanced despite his distaste for the stranger.

"This is my friend, Will. I was taking him out for breakfast." Lance explained, causing the teal haired man to smile, reaching out to shake hands. Will looked down at the hand outstretched to him; perhaps he could learn something from it. He less-than-willingly reached out and took the man's hand, and immediately his senses were overloaded with fear and pain. He tried to pull his hand away instinctively, as if he had burned himself, but the man's grip was firm and strong.

"Will... Pretty name." The man said with admiration. "I'm Proton." He said, smirking. The Psychic couldn't bear to be touched by this horrible man, and to have his hand finally released was a relief. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, requiring all of his strength to keep him from stumbling, or fully breaking out into a crying fit. His heart was pounding again. Will nearly flinched as Lance moved, reaching for a Pokeball that was clipped onto his waist belt, releasing a Roselia in between the three of them.

"Here. This is your gift." Lance stated, referring to the Roselia, which stretched and showed off its flowers.

"Awww, you got me flowers." Proton said jokingly, with a smile. "How sweet of you." Will turned his face towards the ground, his chest stinging, he tried to ignore the two he was with as they conversed.

_'Get me out of here.' _the Psychic pleaded to Lance inside his mind. Lance glanced over at Will with a questioning look on his face, breaking away from the conversation he was having, withdrawing the Roselia into its ball.

"Huh?" Lance asked, confused, "Did you say something?" He asked. Will looked up at Lance, shaking his head, causing Lance to shrug and return to his conversation. Had he spoken to Lance telepathically without meaning to? Without thinking, Will pressed himself up against Lance's side, acting purely on instinct, surprising the Dragon Master a little with the sudden closeness. Will felt warmth and some small comfort as Lance draped an arm around Will's narrow shoulders in response, the tension in his chest easing up a little. He noticed Lance transferring the Roselia to Proton in a trade out of the corner of his eye. Will grasped Lance's shoulder tightly, practically clinging to the Dragon Master.

"So um..." Proton said, as the transfer completed. "Is this your new fuck toy?" He questioned, causing Lance to choke back a laugh. "What's so funny? He's all over you, I could only assume..."

"Will is my friend." Lance stated very clearly, as he rubbed the Psychic's arm gently. "That's all." Proton hummed in thought.

"So, does that mean he's available?" Proton questioned with a sly grin, his hands placed on his hips. Will shivered slightly against Lance's side at the thought of bedding such a man. He may not have been particularly stingy with his body, but even he had his boundaries.

"Not to you." Lance said, with no amusement in his voice. Proton made a noise of disappointment.

"That's a shame... He really is cute." Proton shrugged. Will almost felt insulted by the way they talked about him as if he wasn't even there to hear it, but was instead overwhelmed by his hatred of the teal haired man; he disliked Lance, but what he felt for Proton was complete and total repulsion. How could Lance ever associate himself with somebody like Proton, somebody so horrible? Will sunk deeper into Lance's side as Proton reached for them, holding out an envelope. "Anyway, this is all the information I have for you. Commit it to memory, rewrite it in a code, anything along those lines. Just make sure to burn the original paper." He stated firmly, "As far as anybody else is concerned, this exchange never happened." Proton said, his tone no longer playful or joking; he was dead serious. "Keep your little trophy girl there quiet about it, too." He said, referring to Will with little respect.

"Alright. Understood." Lance acknowledged with a nod. "Thanks." He said with gratitude in his voice. Lance turned, causing Will to have to do a full circle around with the other man in order to stay attached to him. "Take care." Lance called over his shoulder as he began to walk off, with the Psychic still nestled under his arm. Will trembled rather violently against the Dragon Master's side as they finally were out of Proton's presence. Lance waited until they were out of Proton's sight before he split off from Will, standing in front of the violette, the two face to face.  
"What's going on?" He questioned, knowing something was very, very wrong with the Psychic. "Are you cold?" He questioned, not knowing any other explanation for Will's violent tremors.

"I _hate_ him." Will said coldly. Lance furrowed his brow, a bit taken aback by such a bold statement. Will was not one for over-exaggerating, except when it came to the Dragon Bastard himself. "How can you stand being around somebody like that? His energy is surrounded by evil..." He said, his words spiteful.

"I hadn't seen him in years." Lance explained, "And there are a lot of good reasons for that." He sighed. "I'm sorry, you seemed so scared, I didn't know what to do..." Lance apologized.

"I wasn't scared." Will insisted, growling his words at Lance. "I just don't like him." He stated.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that." Lance apologized again, brushing off Will's childish denial of his very obvious fear; Will didn't want to talk about it, and he wasn't in the mood for pressuring the Psychic. "Come on, you need to eat something." He said, smiling a little. "It'll make you feel better." a small smile pulled at Will's lips.

"Lead the way."

* * *

_**A/N:** And another chapter ends._

_I may or may not be trying to update almost-daily in the hopes that somebody, anybody will actually take notice of me._


	5. Servitude

_**A/N:** So, I stopped posting for a while, after a flood of me posting a chapter almost every day. To be honest, I was discouraged and felt uninspired. And then people started reviewing and favoriting out of nowhere. No more dicking around, no more excuses. I will update this at least once a week from now on. I have responsibilities now xD I apologize to those of you who were kept waiting. I have a giant-ass chapter to make up for my lack of posting._

_**Chapter Five:** Servitude_  
_**Word Count:** 9,000 (roughly)_  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, Koga, Janine, minor O/Cs**  
****Pairings:** Gyroshipping (Koga/Will), Masqueradeshipping fluffs_  
_**Warnings:** Some swearing, sexuality._

* * *

"Come on, you need to eat something." Lance said, smiling a little. "It'll make you feel better." a small smile pulled at Will's lips.

"Lead the way." Will said. Lance outstretched an arm towards Will, to receive a curious stare from the Psychic. "What are you doing?" Will questioned, confused.

"What, you don't want to snuggle up under my arm some more?" Lance asked, sounding disappointed. Will smirked and rolled his eyes with a snort.

"The moment has passed, Lance." Will said with a shrug, causing the Dragon Master to fully frown, his arm still held out towards the Psychic. Will sighed, linking his arm with Lance's at the elbow. Lance smiled, leading the Psychic off, the two now walking arm-in-arm. "This is _all_ you're getting, though." Will said with a low tone. Admittedly, he was a victim of his own vanity; he couldn't resist a pretty face.

The two found a small diner to have their first meal of the day in, and it went by mostly in silence, with some chit-chat scattered in between bites. Thanking the host as he left, Lance was particularly eager to leave the city as soon as possible. Will noted how Lance tried to make himself unseen, walking the two of them down side roads, wanting to lessen the likelihood that somebody would recognize him. It was only fair; Lance was fairly well-known in several regions, Johto and Kanto especially. He eased up once they were out of the city, suggesting they go for a stroll out in the open.

"So... Where exactly are you from?" Lance questioned as they walked along, cape swishing behind him with every step. The question seemed to be a difficult one for the Psychic to approach, he fell silent for a minute as he struggled to come up with an answer.

"Well..." Will began, his voice expressing some self-doubt. "I don't really know what to tell you. My parents traveled a lot." He said with a shrug, "I guess I spent a lot of my childhood in Azalea Town, but we never really 'settled down' anywhere." He said with a frown, remembering the days when he was forced to be a traveler; camping outside, going without a bath for days, sometimes weeks at a time. It led to him hating to feel unclean; actually being dirty wasn't the problem, but the thought of looking anything less than beautiful was disturbing to him.

"Why Azalea?" Lance asked, in a curious manner. "I mean, it's a nice place and all, but what kept you there?" He questioned.

"I had family there. I would spend a few months there at a time." Will answered, "With my stupid little cousin." He added in, "He liked bugs. Gross, slimy, crawling bugs with too many legs and creepy little eyes... Ugh." He said, expressing his distaste for the creatures. "I think he stopped growing at ten or something. He hasn't gotten any taller since then." He remarked with realization. "Anyway, when I went off on my own to get serious about being a Pokemon Trainer, I spent a while in Fuschia City, too."

"Was that before or after Koga joined the Elites?" Lance asked, curious for details, and wondering how long the two had known each other; they were certainly well acquainted.

"Before." the Psychic stated, "I lived with him for a while, actually." He added, causing the Dragon Master to raise an eyebrow.

"Why?" the redhead asked, with a suspicious tone.

"Well, I stayed with him for a few months because I owed him money, then I left to go train by myself, and then I lived with him again so he could teach me how to become a better Trainer." Will said, explaining the situation quickly.

"Yeah, but... _How_?" Lance questioned. Will sighed, knowing that the Dragon Master was, for some reason, very interested in his past. He wanted the full story, and he wasn't going to stop pressing for information until he knew every detail.

"Do we _really_ have to do this?" Will asked with a tone of resistance.

"I've known you for a year and a half and this is the first time we've even had a real conversation with each other." Lance reminded him, "I'm pretty sure you owe me." He smiled. "I'm just curious... I mean, I've always wanted to talk to you. Now that I have the chance, I guess I just want to learn everything I can about you." He said, causing the Psychic to smile, his cheeks heating up with a fluster.

"It's really nothing particularly interesting but if you must know..." Will said with a tone of dismissal.

"Oh, believe me, I _must_." Lance smiled.

"Then I'll tell you." Will said, smiling back at him. "So, I took the Gym Leader challenge in Johto when I was sixteen." He began, providing a small base for his story, "I didn't think I was ready to take on the Pokemon League, so I took the Magnet Train over and began the Kanto challenge." He continued, "Eventually, I ended up in Fuchsia City, and I decided to challenge their Gym. I already had a type advantage, so I thought it would be no big deal..."

* * *

Will watched with sadness as his Espeon crashed to the ground, fainting as the last of his health drained. Will rushed over to his Pokemon's side, dropping to his knees and cradling the creature in his arms gently.

"Espeon, no..." he said, almost in tears. "How did this happen? I'm so sorry, _Espeon_..." He sobbed. Koga withdrew his Pokemon; the battle was over, he had won.

"You fought well, boy." Koga complimented, "But I know how to overcome a type disadvantage." He stated, watching as Will held his Espeon close. "I hate to do this to such a worthy opponent, but I'm afraid you owe me money." He said with regret. The violette looked up at him, his face expressing sadness even from under his mask.

"I-I can't..." Will choked out, taking his Espeon back into a Pokeball. "I don't have any money..." he said with struggle. Koga raised an eyebrow at him.

"Didn't my students-" Koga asked, only to be cut off.

"I'm already in debt to somebody else, the money I won from them _has_ to go towards paying it off..." Will explained with embarassment.

"How does a boy your age get into debt? What exactly did you spend your money on?" Koga questioned, confused and skeptical, placing his hands on his hips.

"I... I indulge in fashion." Will admitted, still on his knees. "I owe my money to several tailors." he said, as Koga looked over what the challenger was wearing; he did dress well, so it seemed to be a valid explanation. "I still don't have enough to pay them all off..." Koga sighed, pacing back and forth.

"Well, this certainly is quite the problem you have on your hands... _Will_, was it?" Koga said, pondering the possibilities. "I cannot allow you to walk away freely, but you cannot afford to pay me." the ninja recounted, going over what he understood to be the situation at hand. "On top of that, you are in debt to several others, so I cannot expect to see the money you owe me for a while... Is that our dilemma here?" He asked for clarification.

"Y-yes, that's exactly it..." Will said with a quivering voice. "Please, there must be something else you want..." he begged. Koga hummed, pondering a thought with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, that depends on what you'd be willing to do." Koga said, coming to a conclusion within his mind.

"_Anything_, I'll do anything you ask, I'll even pay you with my body if you want..." Will begged, clearly desperate.

"Your body? No, that's not what I meant at all, boy." Koga said with a laugh, "I am in need of a house servant, however." he said.

"A house servant? Like a maid?" Will asked. Koga smiled slightly.

"Yes, I suppose so. Somebody to do simple chores and make meals. Are you capable of that?" Koga questioned, as Will rose back up to his feet.

"I am." Will stated eagerly. "Please, let me serve you." He pleaded.

"Of course, child, I would not offer if I was not going to take you on." The Poisoner assured, "Allow me to take you to the Pokemon Center to heal your companions, and then we shall return to my home to discuss the terms of your servitude." he offered with a comforting tone of voice, taking a step towards Will. The violette looked up at the man, staring at the ninja, who was holding a hand out towards him. Will took Koga's hand, shaking it gently in good spirit. When they touched, he felt an inner warmth; attraction.

"Thank you." Will said with modesty. Koga walked next to Will, guiding the young one to the Pokemon Center with a hand on the back of his shoulder. Will walked close to the older man, close enough to embrace, his hands clasped firmly together in front of him out of nervousness. The two walked through the doors of the Center, and Koga guided Will to the counter. Will spoke quickly and quietly to the nurse, handing his Pokemon over to be healed with a nod of his head.

"I am very impressed with your skill, boy." Koga complimented as the two waited, the healing machine making a small chime as it completed the task at hand. Will thanked the nurse as he retrieved his Pokemon.

"Are you?" Will questioned, "You defeated me like it was nothing." he said, skeptical.

"Like I said, I know how to overcome a type disadvantage." Koga stated as he escorted the violette outside. "I admit, you came very close to defeating me, closer than anybody has in quite a while." he said, leading Will to a house on the town's edge, one that resembled an old fighting dojo.

"Really?" Will asked, almost flattered. Koga smiled and nodded. He couldn't help but pick up on the man's energies when he was so close, an ability of his that he had some difficulty controlling. The man was fatherly, driven by honor and tradition despite the negative expectations one would have of a Poison Master, and yet he could not help but fall victim to natural animalistic urges; he was radiating with desire, directed at the Psychic. Perhaps he _would _be able to pay off his debt through other means.

"You are psychic, aren't you? Do you have the ability to sense people's thoughts and intentions?" Koga questioned, as they approached the door of the house. The two stood outside, talking.

"Yes, I have been able to for a while now." Will answered. Did he know that Will could sense his lusting? He felt his chest clenching with the fear that he had been caught.

"Then I respect you even more for not abusing your powers to gain the upper hand on me." The Poisoner said warmly, Will nearly sighed out in relief at the words. He suspected nothing. "This is my home. Shall we go inside?" he questioned. Will bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, of course." Will answered, as Koga opened the door, holding it open for the Psychic. Will entered the home, which suited Koga and his lifestyle, decorated as if it were a sacred shrine, plants and flowers spotting every room to bring the beauty of nature indoors. Will nearly gasped at the sight. "This is_ beautiful_." He said in amazement, taking in the scenery, drinking it up with awe. Koga smiled.

"Thank you. Shall we sit down?" The ninja asked, guiding Will into a room with a floor-level table, cushions on the floor to serve as seats. Will nodded, finding a cushion and sinking to his knees gracefully. Koga sat across from him, clasping his hands together on the table in front of them. "Now then, I have a few terms to our agreement already in mind, ones that I feel would be the most beneficial to both of us. They are negotiable. Would you like me to tell you them?" He asked, receiving a nod from Will as a response. "Alright, then. What I had in mind was for you to be a live-in servant to me, you will have your own room and bed in this house, and I will provide you with any amenities you request." Will made a noise of interest and agreement, "In exchange, your job will be to cook at least two meals for me every day, keep this house clean, and the rooms organized; it shouldn't be too hard of a task, as it will be only you and I residing here, and I spend most of my time at my Gym." he explained. Will nodded in understanding. "On top of that, I am willing to pay off your debt to these tailors you mentioned if you would be willing to serve me for an additional amount of time." he concluded. "Also, you will be expected to dress in clothes I provide for you and follow some general house rules as long as you serve me." he stated. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I have no objections to your terms." Will stated, his hands folded in his lap.

"Any additions?" Koga questioned.

"Well, yes... Would I still be allowed to wear my mask?" Will asked shyly, "I always wear it..." Koga hummed in consideration.

"Yes, I respect that." Koga agreed. "It isn't much for you to ask anyway." he said with a shrug. "So, do we have a deal?" he asked, outstretching his hand to seal their agreement. Will reached out, but hesitated, shaking the man's hand slowly.

"How much would I be paying off daily?" Will questioned.

"One-hundred for every day you work." Koga stated. "If you miss a day or disobey my rules, you will earn nothing for that day." he explained. Will pondered the offer, doing the calculations inside his head.

"So that would take me about three months to pay off my debt to you and my tailors, if I work six days a week." Will stated, quick to conclude.

"How much do you owe to your tailors?" Koga questioned, suddenly curious about how much Will managed to spend on clothes.

"Um... Well, if you take out what I can pay off right now... Around six-thousand..." Will said with a nervous tone of voice. Koga smiled slightly, charmed by the boy's behavior and quirks.

"Well then... How long will it take you to go home, gather your things, and return here?" Koga asked.

"Well, I don't need to bring clothes with me, do I?" Will questioned, "If you're providing me with them, that is." Koga hummed a confirmation. "Then about ten minutes if I teleport there and back." Will stated. "Should I go right now?" the violette asked.

"If you wish." Koga answered. Will smiled slightly.

"Alright, then." he said, rising to his feet. He sent out a Kadabra, and commanded it to teleport him home. With a whirl and a flash, the Psychic was gone. Koga waited patiently for the young one to return, passing the time by reading a book. Sure enough, ten minutes later he heard a knock at his door. He went to answer the door, opening it for his new servant, who stood with a bag at his side, filled with the few posesssions he brought with him. Koga smiled down at the young one and stepped aside to allow him in.

"Welcome." Koga greeted, as Will stepped inside. "Let me show you to your room." he offered, placing a hand between he violette's shoulder blades to guide him. Will could feel it again; the man desired him in a very wrong way, he could sense it, he _enjoyed_ it. The man was attractive, as far as a withering older man could be considered 'attractive'. He was strong and cunning in a way that no brash, vainglorious youth could possibly be. The Poisoner led his new servant to an empty bedroom, nothing but a wardrobe and a mattress on the floor decorating it. "Would you like to get unpacked now or later?" Koga questioned, as Will set his bag down on the mattress.

"I guess I'll get it out of the way right now." Will said, unzipping his bag. Koga turned around and went for the door.

"I'll leave you to it." Koga said, courteous enough to give his new house guest some privacy to get everything in order. Will pulled out the few things he had brought with himself; two changes of his own clothes, a couple of masks, personal hygeine items, and a handful of other random items that he might make use of. It took him very little time to get his personal items sorted out. When he had finished, he stood and poked his head out of the doorway.

"Koga?" Will called out, unsure of how to get the man's attention. "I've finished unpacking!" he informed, his voice raised.

"In here!" Koga called back, beckoning for his new servant. Will followed the source of the noise down a hall, into what he could only assume was the kitchen. "And since you now work for me, it would be best if you addressed me with your due respect." Koga informed him, as he poured himself a mug of steaming hot tea.

"Pardon me... _Master_?" Will said, testing out the first title he could come up with. Koga smiled.

"Much better." The older man said with a tone of satisfaction, "Would you like some tea?" He offered, still holding up his teapot.

"Yes, please." Will said with appreciation. The Poisoner looked over at him with an expectant look, "... Master." Will finished.

"We have plenty of time to discipline you." Koga remarked, pouring another mug of tea. "Allow me to show you around the house and tell you your new rules as my guest." He said, handing Will his tea before picking up his own. Will clutched his mug with both hands, pulling black sleeves down over his palms to keep them from getting too hot, providing his skin with a barrier from the hot surface. "First, this is the kitchen. Your job will be to cook breakfast and dinner every day, for both of us, and any guests we may have. It will also be your duty to clean the dishes after use." He explained. "I will provide you with basic ingredients, as well as anything additional you request." He added in. Will sipped his tea carefully as Koga led him out of the kitchen and down the hall.

"If you wish to bring guests to this house, you must ask my permission." Koga informed, although he didn't suspect it would be a problem; Psychics were often loners, from what he had noticed. "You will notice that I have decorated the house with some plants." Koga said as they entered another room, "They are all to be watered in the evening." He stated, "And be careful not to 'sample' any of them. Many of them are ingredients I use in poisons." He warned; Will noted how the man had a lot more to do with poisons than simply a preferred Pokemon type. "In general, you will be expected to wash the floors at least once a week, as well as laundering clothes. You will also be expected to wash the tables and counters at least every two days." Koga listed off various chores as he showed Will around his home.

Finally, they came to Koga's bedroom. The room was well-furnished, and thick curtains kept the sunlight from seeping in through a large window. Koga walked over to one side of his bed, sitting down, and gestured for Will to join him. "Now, come here. What I have to show you is very important." Koga informed, as Will approached, taking a seat by his side. The ninja picked up a sturdy wooden box with a large lock, setting it down on his lap. "You are not to remove _anything_ from this case unless I demand it." Koga said very firmly. "Do you understand?" He asked.

"Yes, Master." Will said. He felt certain thoughts pass into the Poisoner's mind, being alone in his bedroom with his new servant; filthy, vulgar wishes that painted a particularly sexualized picture of the violette, an illusion of willing prey to lay beneath him and crave for pleasure that only he could provide. He was near desperate to fulfill such desires. "Pardon me if this is a bit invasive, but what exactly do you keep in there?" Will asked with curiosity.

"Mixtures." Koga answered, "Some are for healing... Most of them aren't." He elaborated, "Some can fully paralyze you in a matter of minutes. Others can kill even the most resistant with a single drop." He said. "There are many dangerous things in this case, and I do not want you to get hurt because of me. Either way, the key is hidden to prevent accidents like that from happening." He said dismissively. "So, that ends our tour." Koga concluded. "Any questions?"

"No, Master." Will answered, feeling a bit strange to be calling the man he'd just met by such a term; he could sense amusement from the Poisoner every time he was addressed in such a manner, pleased by his submission. "Actually, I take that back. When do I start?" Will asked.

"Not until I can get your servant clothes for you." Koga answered, painfully unspecific. "We can get that done tomorrow, at the earliest." He put his box of mixtures back down on the floor, and stood. "Ah, I should ask, how old are you, Will? Do your parents know you're staying here?" He questioned, the thought coming to his mind just then.

"I told my Aunt. She's going to tell my parents when they return home from their travels. They should be fine with it." Will said, staring up at his new master. "And I'm seventeen." He stated. A feeling of disappointment passed over the Poisoner; he was far too young for him. Will sensed it, and quickly tried to remedy the situation. "I-I'm turning eighteen in a few months." He added quickly. The fact didn't sway the man's unwillingness to bed a mere child.

"Well, happy early birthday." Koga said, his interest in sex dwindling quickly. "Come now, I'm sure you'd like to get acquainted with your new home." He said, starting to make his way towards the door. Will panicked, grabbing the man's wrist quickly, causing him to stop, shooting the violette a questioning look. Will pulled him back over so the man stood in front of him, grabbing the man's hips eagerly, his head at level with the Poisoner's stomach from where he sat. "What are you doing?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised. He understood the implications of their position, and his desire was returning, rushing back as the young one slipped the tips of his fingers beneath the sash that kept his robe closed. His breaths were growing heavy, and he reached out, placing a hand on the back of his servant's head without thinking about it.

"Are you sure you don't want this?" Will questioned, his voice soft as he stared up at his master, eyelashes fluttering innocently. He didn't need to ask, he knew full well that he was doing what any man would want from him. He felt the man's hand stroke his cheek tenderly, and Will took it as a sign to keep going. He gripped the sash and tugged at it, trying to unravel it. Clouded by lust, Koga assisted him, his robe opening to allow the Psychic access.

* * *

"You _didn't_." Lance interrupted, his voice indicating shock and almost disappointment. "_Please_ tell me you didn't."

"Didn't _what_?" Will asked, annoyed by the Dragon Bastard's interruption of his story. "Didn't have sex with Koga? Because you already know I'm not exactly new to that." He informed.

"On the day you met him?" Lance questioned, as if disgusted.

"I'm going to tell you in just a minute if you stop asking questions." Will informed, his impatience evident from his frustrated tone and stiff posture.

"Alright, I'll keep quiet." Lance said with a frown, still uneasy.

* * *

Will pulled down at his master's pant legs, the fabric budging less than an inch as he did. He reached for the top hem, grabbing onto it and beginning to pull again. He had nearly unveiled his prize when Koga grabbed his wrists tightly, stopping him in his actions. Will removed his hands, staring up at the man, who stared back down at him, realizing what he was doing.

"That's enough." Koga said with a low voice. "I'm not doing this with you. You're a _child_." He stated, coming back to his senses. Will frowned, growing frustrated with the man's resistance.

"But, Master..." Will said in a whimper, "Please..." He begged.

"If you want to pay off your debts, you are going to do so honestly." Koga informed him with a firm tone. "You're not going to use your body to manipulate me." He stated, taking up a very strict attitude.

"It's not about my debt." Will tried to convince him to continue, "Please, I want you..." He said in a near whisper, his voice expressing desperation.

"You're far too young for this." Koga growled. "You shouldn't be doing this with _anyone_, let alone somebody my age." He was not in the mood for debating. There would be no convincing him; he was not easily swayed in his morality. Will sighed, hanging his head and lowering his hands to his sides.

"Forgive me, Master..." the violette said quietly, shamefully. The man reached out and pet his hair gently with a forgiving hand.

"I'll make dinner for us tonight." He stated, the incident brushed off easily. "You should get yourself familiar with the house." He suggested as he pulled the young one up onto his feet. As soon as he could be, Will was out of the man's presence, embarrassed and ashamed of his mistake. He could have sworn he was able to charm anybody into bed, and to fail at what he thought he knew he could do right was shocking and confusing to him. He spent a while in his room, but later decided to explore his new home, as was expected of him. When he was called in for dinner, he ate mostly in uncomfortable silence.

"Don't take it so personally." Koga reassured them, referring to the incident from earlier. "You are very pretty... As far as I can tell..." He complimented, "And quite charming." He said, only serving to make the violette feel worse. If he was so pretty, so charming, why did he get so coldly rejected? "But you're too young to be doing these things. And if you must, you shouldn't even be _considering_ them with me." the Poisoner said with a sigh. "Do you understand?" He questioned. Will nodded quietly.

"Yes, Master." Will said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry." he apologized again, lavender locks falling over his face. He finished his meal quietly, and set his plate forward. "I'm finished." He stated, needlessly.

"You should get to sleep soon." His master stated, "We have to get up early tomorrow to get your robes fitted." He explained. "I'll take care of your dish." He stated. Will stood, bowing his head slightly.

"Thank you, Master." He said, "I enjoyed the meal very much." He stated before he turned to leave. "Good night..." He said with a frown. He couldn't get back to his room fast enough. With his failure came a new determination; he wanted the Poisoner to give in to his desires, he knew full well that the man wanted him, he just needed to be assured that he was 'old enough' for it. He had a new goal in mind, he would become far more than an ordinary servant to the Poisoner. Far better, he would be a passion slave, the perfect whore to be defiled by him. He smiled at the thought as he laid in bed, drifting off to sleep knowing he still had plenty of a chance to achieve his dream.

The first month had passed by and was rather uneventful; Will took on his new duties, practically becoming a housewife to Koga with the way he simply stayed at home; cooking, cleaning, and waiting for the man of the house to return filled up his daily activities. He quickly grew accustomed to addressing the man as his master, and made it a point to do so in a way that was just the slightest bit sexual in tone every time he called him such. Slowly, he was working towards his goal, making sure to touch the man for just a bit too long, just a bit too often to be considered platonic; even going so far as to offer back rubs and massages to him, which were usually met with good reception. He couldn't help but find himself aroused when the man would moan from the feeling of his hands touching him so intimately, but he kept it hidden well.

Koga slowly but surely warmed up to his touches, returning the inappropriately 'friendly' behavior he displayed, often bringing the Psychic into his lap when he sat down to read, stroking the delicate expanse of the young one's neck, treating him like a spoiled pet. Will scrubbed the floors on his hands and knees, and he could feel the man's eyes watching his body move, enjoying the sight before him. They would embrace, and his master's hands would wander lower than they should have, resting near where his spine ended, sometimes even lower. Some nights Will would come to the man crying, telling lies about terrible nightmares, and the man would allow him to share his bed, embracing him gently and kissing his forehead to comfort him before they parted, disappointingly, they usually still slept separate from each other even in the same bed. It wasn't as much as he wanted, but he had made a lot of progress.

In the middle of the second month, Koga had woken Will up fairly early, having entered his room while he was asleep. Will woke, and stared up at his master, wondering what he wanted at such an hour. He had his mask on; he wore it even as he slept, knowing the man might enter his room at night, not wanting to have his face looked upon without his knowledge and consent.

"Master..?" Will asked, his voice slow and slurred from the grogginess of sleep. Koga stared down at him, his hands on the violette's shoulders. The man couldn't deny the fact that he adored the boy's body, every length and curve of it was perfect.

"Wake up, my dear." The Poisoner said gently, growing used to referring to the child by cherishing terms. "I have a gift for you." He smiled, as Will sat up in his bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Resisting the obvious advances the young one was making on him became harder and harder every passing day, but he maintained his standard.

"What is it?" Will questioned. His voice expressed hope, and the man knew what he had in mind. Will was only a child, and one that was younger than his own daughter, it felt wrong to want him, but with the way the young one kept insisting, he was beginning to believe that it wasn't a confused adolescent phase that brought about his desire, perhaps the boy truly lusted after him.

"I'm taking you to Ecruteak City, in Johto." He stated, catching the young one off guard. "There is a famous dressmaker there, who is known for making the outfits of the local Kimono Girls." He said, reaching up a hand to touch the violette's cheek gently.

"But... _Why_?" Will asked, confused. "I'm already in debt to you..."

"This has nothing to do with that. It is my gift to you, it will not cost you anything." the man reassured, leaning in to kiss his forehead tenderly. "We will be attending my nephew's wedding, the dress code calls for traditional wear." He explained, as Will leaned in, burying his face in the dip between his master's neck and shoulder, his arms wrapping around the man warmly. "Come now, it's time to rise." Koga said softly before standing. Will stood, embracing his master again with his arms around the man's neck.

"Master... Will you kiss me?" Will requested quietly; he had done so once before, but he had been drunk. Koga stared down at Will, considering the question. Wordlessly, the Poisoner leaned in, taking Will's face in his hands and kissing him gently, yet passionately. The kiss lasted no more than a second before Koga pulled away. Will snuck in quickly, stealing a quick peck from his master's lips before releasing him.

"There. Now get dressed." Koga said with a smile, leaving the Psychic to dress himself in privacy. Will exchanged his bed clothes for his servant robes quickly, and found his master waiting outside the door when he emerged, already prepared to make their journey. A ride on the Magnet Train and a long walk later, they were in Ecruteak, with the older of the two knocking on the door of a simple house. Will had been through the city before while he was taking the Gym Leader challenge of Johto. A woman answered the door; she appeared to be a bit older than Koga, her black hair laced with pale streaks of gray.

"May I help you?" The woman croaked, not particularly welcoming towards them. "Are you here about a piece of clothing? I don't do alterations on other people's handiwork." She stated, noticing the two at her door were wearing traditional clothing, though she recognized immediately that they had bought them from another tailor.

"I sent out a letter earlier this week to inquire about a dress fitting." Koga stated, getting straight to his point. He knew full well that women of her age, of her culture, did not delight in idle chit-chat. The woman was all about business, and he didn't bother to attempt to flatter or entertain her. The woman shuffled aside for them to enter, more demanding than inviting.

"Come inside." She ordered. Will followed his master into her home, the smell of incense reaching his nose as soon as he passed through the doorway. Her home very much resembled his master's, with a heavy air of the woman's history and culture hanging in it. "What style of robe?" She asked, gesturing for the two of them to sit, at the same sort of floor level tables Koga had in his home. They complied, Koga having to guide him to sit quickly, not wanting to displease their host.

"Furisode." Koga stated quickly, knowing the woman would know better than anybody what he meant. Will was oblivious to the word's meaning, growing up in a vastly different culture. "In silk. Purple." He added on. The woman shot the two of them a strange look.

"To fit your... _Apprentice_?" She questioned, referring to Will. There was an expression of suspicion and curiosity on her face, as if accusing them of something. Had Koga said something to rouse such a response? He felt ignorant for not understanding the nature of their interaction, and for a moment he considered peering into Koga's mind to gain his understanding of the situation, but instead decided to watch how it played out naturally.

"Yes." Koga responded, placing a hand gently on Will's shoulder. The seamstress chuckled and smirked as if knowing some sort of underlying meaning.

"I haven't met anybody who practiced _that _old tradition in a while." She stated. Koga smiled slightly, and Will was beginning to grow annoyed with whatever inside knowledge he was being excluded from. She left the room to fetch her measuring equipment, giving the two a moment alone.

"Master, what's going on?" Will asked quietly, needing to know what was so damn funny to him and the seamstress. Koga smiled even wider.

"There was once a tradition among warriors to sleep with their young male apprentices." Koga explained quickly, "The apprentice would wear a certain style of women's dress to signify that he was a warrior's lover. That is the style I ordered for you." Will stared, at the man, his eyes widened with disbelief. Just then the woman returned with her supplies, knowing smirk still pulling at her lips.

"Stand up." She ordered, speaking a bit less harshly. Will did as he was instructed, and the woman continued barking orders at him, wrapping her measuring tape around him to get his proportions and size. When she finished, she ordered the two of them to leave quickly, so she could get to work. She requested for a deposit on the dress, and smiled as money was placed in her open palm. They left promptly after that, being assured that the work could be done in three days at the most; the act of tailoring and seaming was as natural to her as breathing. The dying and hand-embroidery of the silk was what took the longest.

The day of the wedding came soon after Will's dress had been picked up, and the morning had been spent in preparation. Koga assisted his date with his clothes, the young one unsure of how to put on the old style of dress.

"No, you don't fold it like _that_." Koga scolded with a sigh, the poor boy was oblivious to the culture he was about to experience. "You will offend our hosts." He stated, pulling open the traditional kimono Will wore and fixing it for him. "Right side first." He stated, as he demonstrated, pressing the fabric against his servant's chest, covered by white underclothes that came with the dress, "And the left goes on top." Will blushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Master, I didn't know..." Will apologized as Koga moved on, wrapping a small belt of fabric around his waist and tying it, bringing up some excess fabric to cover it.

"It's alright, my dear." Koga reassured him, wrapping another belt around him and securing it. "Most women, even the ones familiar with the old culture, don't know how to put on a kimono, either." He said, as Will waited for the man to finish dressing him. "At least not anymore." He stated, grabbing a large sash and wrapping it around him. Will couldn't help but wonder what the man was doing behind his back; there was a lot of shifting, and pulling.

"Are you alright?" Will questioned, confused.

"Shh." Koga hissed at him, not wanting the boy to break his concentration. "I'm tying a very intricate knot... Or I'm trying to." He explained to pacify the young one's curiosity. His hands worked with great dexterity; he had not had to perform such a task for a few years, the last time being his daughter's coming of age ceremony, but his hands remembered the motions as if he had performed them daily, all it took was a bit of focus to bring it out. When he was finished, he observed his work with pride. "There, I've finished." he stated, "Turn, let me look at you..." He requested gently. Will did as asked, turning to look at his master with a small smile. Now that he had the moment to actually take in the sight, he realized how enchanting the young one looked. He nearly gasped at the Psychic's radiance.

"How do I look?" Will asked softly, feeling a bit strange in such clothes. He didn't need to ask, he could feel how the man felt; he was enamored by the sight.

"Your beauty is _humbling_." Koga stated in a hushed voice, as he took the violette's face in his hands, kissing him on the lips passionately. Will kissed back, wrapping his arms around the Poisoner, feeling the long sleeves of his dress adding some extra weight to the limbs they dressed. He felt the older man's hands roaming his silk-clad body, careful not to disturb his work. Will sensed his energy; the man was lusting for him again, far deeper than before, but he could not oblige. Koga pulled away from him, breaking their kiss. "You should have put on your socks before I dressed you." He chided, remembering it suddenly.

"It's fine." Will said softly, grabbing the split-toed socks that his master had set on the table for him. He attempted to bend over, but the dress stopped him, his spine stiffened by the carefully-wrapped fabric, allowing him to bend no more than a few inches over. Koga sighed and smiled as Will stood up straight again.

"Sit down." He instructed. Will obeyed, sitting on his bed carefully. Koga dropped down, descending to his knees, and took Will by the feet, placing them on his lap. Pale and soft, like the rest of the young one's skin. He slipped Will's socks onto his feet and stood again, hearing his servant thank him quietly. Will silently wished that the man would push him down on his bed and undress him, finally taking him in a flare of passion, but he knew it was nothing more than that; an empty wish. They had places to go, and little time for wasting, even in such mutually enjoyable activities. Gently, Koga helped him to his feet, and the two finished their preparations quickly before leaving.

They arrived to attend the wedding, and Will found himself strangely comfortable in his clothes; the entire attendance was dressed in traditional wear, and had he worn his own clothes, he would have looked pathetically out of place. Koga guided him through the reception hall; they were a mere five minutes early for the ceremony, and the room was mostly packed, save for a few scattered seats. Koga led him to a pair of seats at the edge of a row, next to a young woman with dark purple hair, dressed in a silk kimono. He didn't bother to ask if they were taken, simply instructed his servant to sit next to him, as he took a place next to the woman.

"_Father_." She greeted him, not even turning her head to look at them. Will was shocked, he didn't realize Koga had any family. Why hadn't he said anything about it? Was that why he had refused sex from Will - because he had a wife and a family?

"Janine, it has been several months since I've seen you." Koga stated. Will was baffled by the information he was receiving; his ability to read the feelings of others shouldn't have skipped over something like this. "I didn't think you would show up to the wedding, I thought you were busy training." Koga said, looking over at his apparent daughter.

"Would you have brought this _whore _with you, had you known I would be in attendance?" She spat her words with anger; Will sensed her disgust, she practically fumed with her emotions. She was enraged that her father would insult her mother's dignity by picking up a new lover, especially one so young, as if her mother never existed. She was misinterpreting the entire situation.

"Watch your tongue." Koga scolded, "This is Will. He is my house servant. Nothing more." he stated, defending the Psychic's name.

"Then why does he wear-" Janine started, not believing him. She understood the significance of the dress, of course.

"Are you questioning me?" Koga asked, taking up a very stern tone. "Are you accusing me of lying to my own blood, my own daughter?" Will had never seen this side of the man, even when he was being disciplined by him. He figured it was simply because they were family, they had a different relationship. Janine realized the truth of her father's words, and settled.

"No. I believe you." Janine said, although she was still a bit tense. "Forgive me for my insolence, Father." She apologized.

"You are forgiven." Koga stated. "I have missed you, Janine." He smiled slightly at her. The crowd hushed down as the ceremony began. Will hardly paid attention to it; he wasn't there to celebrate, if anything he was a trophy for Koga to parade around. He had things to consider, such as the possibilities behind why and _how_exactly Koga hid his family from the Psychic. Had he lost touch with his abilities from slacking off on his training? The thought was troubling to him, he could have sworn that surely his powers, his senses belonged to him, not some creatures that lent him a gift to make him feel special.

The rest of the day was spent meeting relatives of Koga's, and receiving odd stares from them. Again, he felt as though he was misplaced, their culture alien to him. He could care less, he had better things to occupy his mind with, mysteries to unravel. He couldn't be losing his powers, they had started developing years before he had settled for Psychic-type Pokemon - they were the reason why he had taken on the Psychic type to begin with. His mind went back to a room, he laid in bed, his eyes closed, his body stiff. He panicked, forcing the thought out of his head; he couldn't go back there, he couldn't think about it again, he refused to remember. It was over, it was done. It never happened. It wasn't true. _It_ _never_ _happened_.

* * *

"It's not true..." Will muttered to himself, forgetting that the Dragon Master was still listening to him. "It's not..." He regained himself. He had lost himself in a bad memory, he had succumb to his fears. He mentally scolded himself for allowing a false memory to turn him into such a pathetic mess.

"Pardon?" Lance asked, not having heard the Psychic's terrified mumbling. Will glanced over at him, suddenly remembering that he had company.

"Oh? Nothing, I was just talking to myself." Will stated, finding it easy to lie. Lance trusted him, although he didn't know why; he was too kind, too trusting of people he barely knew. "Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough about that." He said, deciding not to continue with his stories of his teenage years. It had been five years since then, and yet the memory was still fresh.

"Did you ever end up... Accomplishing your goal?" Lance questioned, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. He was referring to Will's attempts at seducing the Poisoner, of course.

"No... Not then." Will said. "And yes, I did find out why I didn't know about his family." He said, before Lance could even ask. "Some of his ninja discipline crap." He said with a shrug.

"So, when did you two finally-" Lance began to ask.

"Oh, no. I've told you enough about me for one day." Will insisted, not wanting to go on about his past anymore. Admittedly, he had told Lance much more than he intended to, but the words just kept spilling out when he wasn't realizing it. A part of him that was otherwise shut off had opened up and poured out, for Lance of all people. Perhaps it meant something. Most _definitely_ not, he insisted to himself. He simply hadn't talked about it in a long time, he needed to vent to somebody, anybody. It just happened to be Lance. Nothing more.  
"It's _your_ turn to talk now." Will stated, curious to what he could learn about the Dragon Master that he couldn't find while peering into the front of his mind. "I'm interested to know what could possibly be wrong with the _perfect _man." he said, his last words coming out in a mocking tone. Lance shook his head.

"Trust me, you don't want to know that." Lance said, as Will took in the surroundings. They had made their way to an open field, and they were sitting in the grass together. "But I can't stop you from finding out, can I?" he questioned, staring over at Will, "You can see the memories in my head, can't you? You can look all you want, but it's not my fault if you don't like it..." He could sense unease in the redhead, already his mind was bringing up old pain, memories of sadness, rejection, hatred; the energy of Lance's agony was quickly overwhelming him. He felt sick to his stomach, and yet he couldn't help but wonder what could have caused Lance such horrible, nightmarish feelings.

"I-I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry..." Will apologized quietly. He had always thought that Lance had some sort of privileged, perfect life, never had he even considered that the man knew what pain was. "I'm so sorry..." He dreaded to learn what hurt him so much, but he could no longer keep his curiosity at bay. He grabbed Lance intently, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together; mind reading was easier when he could touch his subject. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tangling his consciousness into Lance's, looking into his thoughts, his memories.

He saw the world through his eyes. He saw the shadow of a man, not even a man, a heartless shell of a human being, always angry, always ready to cause pain. He felt useless, rejected, determined to do something, _anything_ right, and yet his efforts were wasted. There was a dead weight in his chest, dragging his heart into darkness. Had Lance really felt this way before? Was he the one who caused it? No, it was something else. He trusted, he gave his heart away, he sought love and expected safety, he spent every day trying to be worth _something_ to...

His father?

"_I_ _worked_ _so_ _fucking_ _hard_..." Will mumbled, opening his eyes. His words weren't his own, his body was replaying memories that weren't his. "_It's_... _Worthless_..." He closed his eyes again, and his hand burned. He yelped, pulling away from Lance in a panic, he felt a stabbing pain, something was cutting into his hand. Their minds unraveled from each other in an instant, and Will gasped, his breathing heavy. He looked down at his hand for the wound he could have sworn was there, but there was nothing.

Lance stared at him with concern; it felt strange to have Will invade his mind, especially when it came to such delicate subject matter. He swore he could hear Will sobbing, and he pushed his memories back to the forgotten darkness he had found them in. It was in the past, it didn't need to hurt him anymore. Will looked up at him again, his expression cold and numb. He was trying to regain his composure, and struggling with it, he didn't have to be psychic to see that.

"Your dad... What did he _do _to you?" Will questioned, his voice sounding weak.

"Nothing in particular." Lance answered calmly. "The years of being spit on and rejected just build up, y'know?" He explained, and Will wondered how he could sound so accepting of such awful pain. "It wasn't all at once, I mean, I had this one night where I freaked out pretty bad over it, but for the most part it wasn't that bad." Lance said, rubbing Will's arm gently in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry about me." He said, "People change. Things get better." He smiled.

"How do you just... Get over something like that?" the violette asked.

"I didn't just get over it." Lance stated, "It got worse after that, actually. But after all the bad was over, I set myself towards a goal." He explained, as Will calmed himself, feeling an overwhelming warmth coming from the redhead. "A bad past doesn't have to ruin you... It can make you an even better person if you let it." Mere moments ago, the Psychic had been afraid, in pain, and yet it all washed away when he smiled. Lance had a way with people, that much couldn't be denied.

Still, he wondered. Had he been doing himself wrong all this time? He had his own pain, and he let it get the best of him. He thought he was better than it now, he thought he had perfect control over his mind, his emotions, and yet one person managed to awaken his heart simply by smiling at him. Koga was right; he had run from Lance, because he had the ability to control his emotions. Now that he had given in, the Dragon Master threatened to destroy everything he'd worked for, what he'd been training his mind to do for years. His presence within Will's life had the potential to break the only thing that kept him safe. But that wasn't what troubled him.

What troubled him was that he could swear a part of him _wanted_ it to happen.

* * *

_**A/N:** If you made it this far, I applaud you. I really did not mean for it to run on that long._

_A few notes;_

_- Yes, Will's anonymous ten-year-old-looking cousin that likes bugs is supposed to be Bugsy._  
_- For those who didn't know, or those who knew and suspected, yes Koga and the old lady are talking about an actual thing. Wakashudo, google that shit._  
_- I apologize if there are any cultural inaccuracies in my writing. I'm just a white-ass teenager who's been living in Canada for the majority of my life. I can only be as accurate as my research, and if I got something terribly wrong, I am very sorry. I do not want to offend anybody from my own ignorance._  
_- We're going to talk about Lance's daddy drama eventually, I promise. It only gets worse from here.  
- As for their ages, if you do the math, Will is around 22. Lance, I decided, gets a whole four years advantage on him at 26. Koga was intended to be around 48 (which is creepy)._  
___  
That's about all I have to say. Thank you all for reading, and thank you so much for the reviews. Again, if there's a pairing you'd like to see incorporated, give me a shout and I'll try to slip it in somewhere._


	6. Power

_**A/N: **Finally back oh wow. So I guess this is my Christmas to all of you. An update. And we get some legit Lance/Will action this time. The author delivers! I don't have much else to say, but thank you so so so much to the people who reviewed. You make me feel awesome. As always, thank you to my personal Lance, who makes this all possible. You inspire me in a way that is totally normal and platonic and I love you._

_**Chapter Six:** Power  
__**Word Count:** 4,400 (roughly)  
__**Characters: **Lance, Will  
__**Pairings:** All of the Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will)  
__**Warnings:** Sexuality described vaguely (very little detail, some humping and moaning)_

* * *

The rest of their afternoon had gone by well, it had been more fun than the Psychic ever would have guessed. They had wandered around mostly unnoticed, save for a young girl who had apparently recognized Lance and insisted on taking a picture with him; her Pokegear had a camera, she had proudly informed them. Will made it a point to take the Dragon Master's hand in his own as they walked away, smugly satisfied when he saw the jealous scowl plastered on the girl's face as she watched. Other than that occurrence, they had an easy-going day; it had been a long time since either of them were truly at ease, their days taken up either by training or crime-fighting. To spend the day simply enjoying the fresh air was a relief. The two had eventually ended up on the shores of Olivine City, sitting in the sand and watching the waves flow in and out as the sun set.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" Will asked, staring out to the sky, which was stained with hues of pink and purple as the sun went down. Lance looked over at him, smiling as he matched the purples in the sky to the colour of the Psychic's hair and eyes.

"Yeah, it is. Did you want to head back soon?" Lance asked, standing up to brush some of the sand off of his clothes. He offered his hand to Will, who, surprisingly, accepted it graciously. He adored the feeling of the small, delicate hand in his own as he pulled the violette to his feet.

"Not quite yet." Will said with a smile. "Do you ever plan on telling me more about your father?" He questioned, realizing the subject had been practically dropped since they had discussed it earlier. Lance hummed, pondering whether or not he was ready to open up about such a personal subject to the Psychic.

"No..." Lance smiled, "Not until you agree to let me spend another day with you." He offered.

"You think I would somehow be opposed to it after today?" Will asked. "I would love to spend another day with you. But I wouldn't recommend you try tampering with the power generators again. People might get suspicious." Will said with a sly smile.

"You _knew_ about that?" Lance asked, a bit surprised that he'd been found out. Will tapped one of his temples with two fingers.

"_Psychic_." Will reminded him, causing Lance to shrug.

"Right, well... I have other ways." Lance said with a smile. "I mean, if you want I could take you with me the next time I raid a Rocket hideout." He suggested with a grin. Will laughed, amused by the thought. "I'm serious! We could be a crime fighting duo!" Lance dreamed up, "I mean, you can manipulate people's minds, right?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to get out to help you 'fight crime' in the first place?" Will asked, finding the Dragon Master's imaginary scenario ridiculous, and yet not opposed to the thought.

"Well, if anybody came to challenge the League, they would need to take on the Champion, right? What's the point in even letting them take on the Elite Four if the Champion isn't there?" Lance pointed out, "That's what I was planning to tell the higher-ups if I ever wanted to get you some free time again... _Without_ blowing up the power generator." He explained. Will smiled slightly.

"It's worth a try." Will shrugged. "Besides, I always love outclassing those who fight with brute strength by the power of the mind." The sun had sunk lower in the horizon, and the world was growing dark around them as night began to fall.

"I promise I'll get you out so you can '_outclass_' me some time." Lance said with a grin, as the two walked along the shore, making their way back into town. "So, do you think you'll be able to handle a Dragonite again?" He asked, as they stood, having come to a stop.

"I can manage. Just as long as you help me down." Will said with a smile. Lance sent out the two Dragonites they had rode in on earlier that day, and it was no longer than five minutes before they had burst off into the sky again, led through the night by nothing more than instinct and the occasional light from the cities and roads below. The Dragon Master was sure to help the Psychic off of his mount, grasping him by the waist to keep him from falling again. Again, they lingered in their places, perhaps for a moment too long. Will wouldn't deny that he enjoyed being touched by the man he could have sworn he hated the day before.

The two parted regretfully and made their way back into the League building, the hallways lit by candles; apparently the power was still out. Lance escorted Will to his room, the two talking and smiling the whole way there, to receive some very shocked looks from just about everybody they passed by. When they ended up at Will's door, the Psychic pulled out his key and unlocked it, with a smile still on his face, his cheeks warm with happiness. Will put his key back in his pocket and turned around to look at Lance, who had his hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets.

"So... I guess this is good night?" Lance questioned. Will smirked slightly, tilting his head to the side.

"Just a minute." Will said, still having more to say. "Lance, was that supposed to be a _date_?" He asked with a sly grin. Lance bit his lip, hesitant to answer.

"Well, that depends." Lance said. "If it _was_ meant to be a date... Would you say it was a good date?" Lance asked, praying for the Psychic's approval.

"Best date I've ever been on." Will smiled and blushed as he said the words. He had never seen Lance so nervous before, it was cute in a strange way; the Dragon Tamer really did aim to please, and he was terrified that he would screw up now that he finally had the chance.

"Then yeah, it was a date." Lance said with relief. Will's smile widened.

"Correct me if I'm wrong..." Will started, his cheeks heating up. Lance wouldn't have recognized it, but there was a glint in those lavender eyes that indicated his desire, even from underneath his mask. "Isn't it customary to kiss your date good bye at the end of the night?" Will asked, his cheeks flushed pink. Lance's eyebrows rose slightly, and a smile crept along his face.

"You're absolutely right." Lance said, the tone of his voice lowering with arousal. "How could I let the opportunity to kiss those lips pass me by?" He questioned, taking the violette's face in his hands. Will tensed up slightly as Lance's hands came close to his mask, but was quickly reassured when they landed over his jaw.

The tension shot through the roof within a single moment as the redhead leaned ever closer, close enough for the two of them to feel the warmth of breath trickling over their skin. Heart beating hard enough to break the bones within his chest, Will felt as though the air had suddenly grown very thin as their lips brushed with the softest touch. Finally, their lips met, perfectly aligned with each other, in the kind of kiss that drove stars to fall and tides to change. All reason abandoned, their bodies acted on instinct alone. Will reached one of his arms around Lance, pulling him closer in a half-embrace while his other arm reached behind him to open the door to his room, letting it swing open behind him.

"Come inside..." Will pleaded in a whisper, barely even able to break the kiss to be able to form the words. The Dragon Master obliged, allowing Will to guide him through the doorway, he did his host the courtesy of shutting the door behind them with his foot, his arms refusing to relinquish the one wrapped up in their embrace. Will pulled Lance deeper into his home within a home, and the Dragon Master could hear the lock clicking shut; telekinesis, one of the perks that came with being a Psychic, he assumed. His arms sank lower along the violette's body, and he wasn't quite sure where they were. He simply knew that his body was doing what it wanted, it was groping some part of Will, and he had never loved the feeling of another body more than he did in that moment.

He heard another door shutting behind them, and he felt the slender body, the one he was very quickly growing to love, tearing away from him much sooner than he had wanted. He opened his eyes, and it became immediately apparent to him that they had managed to find their way to the Psychic's bedroom, just like their day together began. Will sat on his bed and stared up at him, panting lightly. His pupils were dilated, to the point where the colour of his eyes was near unidentifiable, having been pushed away by the black center.

"You're beautiful." Lance breathed, the first thing that came out of his mouth.

"What just happened?" Will questioned, his heart still beating hard in his chest, his head swimming with ecstasy. "I've never felt so good before..." He wasn't quite sure what he had felt; never had he been so moved by a kiss, or just by simply touching another person; not even sexual pleasure could have come close to what he had experienced.

"Neither have I." Lance said as he leaned in to the violette, placing his hands on the bed. Will pulled him closer, their lips meeting again in a gentler touch. A sigh of adoration escaped from the Psychic's rosy lips, as he felt the Dragon Master pushing his shoulders gently; he complied eagerly, letting his back fall against the mattress. Lance simply stood there, one of his knees propped up on the bed; the Psychic could have sworn he saw a dim light coming from inside of the Champion's shirt.

"Lance..." Will began with a tone of wonder, "Is your shirt... _Glowing_?" He asked, thinking his eyes might have been deceiving him. Lance looked down at his chest and mumbled a damnation.

"Oh, that." Lance said with a tone of exhaustion, "Yeah, that's... It's this thing I have." He said, his explanation too vague to be helpful. "I'll show you... Just, don't freak out or anything..." He requested, as he reached up to the collar of his shirt. The Psychic watched with anticipation as his guest unzipped his shirt, slowly, almost teasingly. Lance held his shirt closed for a second, breathing out a sigh before taking it off, revealing a well-kept body lined with visible muscle. But it wasn't the Champion's physique that caught Will's attention. Emblazoned on Lance's chest was the marking of a dragon, wings spanning from shoulder to shoulder, its tail curling halfway down his stomach.

"Your chest..." Will said, eyes widened with shock, "Your chest just lights up sometimes?" he questioned. As it turned out, the light in Lance's shirt was coming from the Dragon Master himself, the mark on his chest glowing from under his skin.

"Yeah... It does that in a few situations..." Lance said, a bit shyly. "Like when I'm experiencing any really intense emotion or feelings, like I am right now." He said, as Will sat up again, touching the glowing mark gently. "I can tell you all about it later, if you want." He said, knowing that people often got curious about his unique mark. "But right now, I just want to touch you." He stated, diverting the conversation.

"How far did you plan on taking this touching?" the Psychic questioned, knowing that a quick mind reading would be useless; his companion was too wrapped up in the moment to occupy his mind with any future intentions. "Still no sex, right?" he asked.

"You know how I feel about that." Lance reminded him, placing a quick kiss on the violette's lips. "I really don't know... Other than the obvious limit I have, what are _you_ comfortable with?" He asked, the mark on his chest dimming slowly as he gradually regained his ability to think with his mind instead of his body.

"Anything." Will answered, yearning to know how many more ways the man he once thought he hated could drive his senses over their limits. "Although now I feel a bit overdressed..." He confessed as he took a minute to truly admire the body before him.

"There's an easy solution to that." the redhead smiled. That was all the approval that the Psychic need to strip out of his shirt, practically tearing out of his coat and the shirt he wore beneath it, tossing them aside carelessly. Lance took a step back as the violette stood, their mouths colliding in a sudden burst of desire as hot skin met between the two of them. Will had always imagined Lance to be a selfless, 'I only want you to feel good' kind of lover, it seemed his assumption was proving to be very wrong; as much as the Dragon Tamer was giving, he was shockingly greedy. The redhead silently demanded entrance to his passion-mate's mouth with his tongue, and he was obliged quite quickly, the warmth between their lips far greater than that between their skin.

As the onslaught of each other's mouths continued, Lance changed his positioning slightly so he could lift the violette off of his feet, supporting the weight of the small body almost effortlessly. His mere touch was intoxicating, flooding his body with excitement and energy he never could have imagined without the experience of it. Lance carried his prize around to the side of the bed, the violette feeling safe with the Dragon Master having complete control and responsibility over his body. Lance carefully lowered the two of them down onto the bed, himself first, leaving the Psychic to lay on top of him. Will took the opportunity to kiss his neck, softly, teasing him with flicks of his tongue, causing Lance to shiver at the touch, the nerves under his skin feeling a pleasure that seemed almost electrifying, his entire body tingling.

"I want to see your body..." Will muttered between kisses. Without a word, Lance shifted, undoing the buckle of his belt. Will sat up as Lance worked at undressing himself, taking the moment to remove his shoes, dropping them on the floor next to his bed. He did Lance the same favor before joining the Champion, undressing himself near fully. The two of them stared at each other, left only in their underwear. Will still wore his mask, as did Lance with his cape. Will reached down to take the curtain of fabric off of the Champion, only to be grabbed firmly by the wrists.

"If you're leaving your mask on, I'm leaving this on." Lance smiled, causing Will to giggle before leaning in and kissing him again. Will smiled down at the Dragon Master, rubbing his shoulders gently, his hands sliding under the fabric covering them. "You've been smiling at me like that all day..." Lance remarked, his eyes half-lidded. "You look so good when you're happy." He complimented, enamored with the Psychic.

"It's never felt so natural..." Will stated, as Lance sat up, forcing him to adjust, wrapping his arms around the Dragon Master's neck as he sat atop the other man. "Do I get to see... _More_ of you?" Will asked shyly.

"Do you want to?" Lance returned. A pink hue tinged the violette's face, and he nodded - it was surprising and quite unusual for the Psychic, who was normally so confident and in control of his sexuality, to be so shy and flustered. "Then get up for a second." He smiled, his instructions taken immediately. The two both removed their final garments, each left only in their signature accessory, with Lance in his cape, and Will in his mask. The moment of truth arrived, they turned to each other and took in the sights of each other's pretty-much-fully-naked bodies. Will bit his lip softly as he looked the Dragon Master over, the air felt even more restricted as it entered his lungs in shallow, panting breaths.

"Oh... Wow..." Will meant to say more, but simply couldn't manage to gather his thoughts enough to find what to say. Lance smiled at him as they took in the images of each other near-fully exposed, his chest lighting up more.

"Is that a good 'wow'?" Lance questioned, his voice low.

"I-I've seen bigger..." Will stumbled over his words, a tingling in his stomach as he spoke. The redhead shot him a look that expressed confusion.

"Well, that makes me feel great." He said with a smirk, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Will panicked, waving his arms in front of him as if to wipe away what had just been said.

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" the violette insisted, worried he had offended the Dragon Master, "I mean, bigger isn't always better." Will said, correcting himself. "You're perfect" He stated. "Any bigger would be too much..." Will explained, insisting that he hadn't meant to insult. Lance chuckled and leaned in to kiss the Psychic's forehead gently. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Stop." Lance said gently, "I know what you meant." He smiled before taking the violette's lips with his own, the overwhelming heat of passion flowing between them once more. Will made a noise of wanting, pushing Lance down on the bed as they kissed, his hands pressed against the dragon mark that glowed warmly from the man's chest. Instinctively, their arms wrapped around each other's bodies, hot skin sliding and shifting desperately between them. It was too easy to get lost in the warmth, euphoric gasping and moaning flooded into each other's ears, neither sure what they were doing. They proceeded to act out of blind craving, and when the kissing and biting could no longer suffice, they found their bodies rutting hard against each other in a sweating, groaning frenzy; no penetration, as promised. Maddened thrusting and humping against each other got the job done just as well.

Will let out a cry of bliss, his arms wrapping tighter around the Dragon Master as he writhed, eyes shut firmly, his muscles spasming as his pleasure climbed past the point of his control. The redhead's embrace pulled closer as he too lost his senses, grinding frantically against the smaller body, both lost in the rapturous throes of orgasm, calling out carnal noises, breaths heaved as they expended themselves mere seconds apart. The result of the whole ordeal was a fantastic white mess between their stomachs and chests, some dripping onto the blankets below. The light in Lance's chest dimmed as he breathed out a sigh of relief, only to receive a terrible fright as he heard the sounds of several objects crashing and clanging into each other all at once. He sat up with shock, looking around the room to see that somehow, everything was now in a different place, disorganized, a chaotic mess that had no explanation. Will sat up slowly, looking around and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Whoops." Will said simply, as Lance continued to stare around in horror. "I didn't mean to do that, I'm sorry." Will apologized.

"Wh-what is exactly is '_that_'? What did you do?" Lance asked, his heart still racing from the shock. Will began to reorganize the room from where he sat, lazily reaching out with his mind and dragging items back to their proper places with his unique abilities, a faint purple light glowing from his eyes.

"I, um... My body does weird things when I get excited, too." Will explained, having trouble to focus his powers so soon after such a draining activity. "Well, not my body. My mind." He corrected. Lance stared over at Will, quite intrigued by whatever process was occurring.

"And the room just turns into some sort of war zone?" Lance questioned, pressing the Psychic to continue to explain.

"No..." Will stated, having some difficulty with telekinetically pushing his wardrobe back up; it had fallen onto its side and laid on the floor. "When I start to feel immense pleasure, I grow less and less capable of higher functioning." He explained, his wardrobe beginning to rise up onto the proper side. Lance noticed what the Psychic was attempting and stood, walking over to the wardrobe and lifting it the rest of the way until it was right side up again. "Thank you." Will said with a smile. "Anyway, if that pleasure gets out of hand, I risk losing control of my abilities." He said. "That's what just happened." Lance returned to the place where he had been laying on the bed earlier, unsure of how Will would have wanted his possessions organized. "I must have picked up a few objects while we were... Enjoying ourselves. When it stopped, I let them all go at once as I regained my ability to think." He finished.

"So when we get horny, my magical dragon mark starts functioning as a night light, and you throw things around with your mind." Lance smirked at his observation. Will turned to look at Lance as he finished reorganizing his room.

"I haven't done that in _years_, actually." Will noted. "I've never felt good enough to have it happen, not for a long time..." He explained, as he brought a box of tissues over to the bed, watching as it floated over from the other end of the room. He grasped it and began taking tissues, handing a few over to his bedmate as he wiped himself off.

"There's probably a reason for that." the redhead shrugged as he cleaned up, undeniably happy with the results of their date. Will dabbed at the mess on the bed, cleaning it up carefully.

"And did you feel like _sharing_ any reasons, or are you just assuming that there's some vague reason why I like humping your side more than I like sex with anybody else?" the violette questioned as he disposed of the tissues. Lance smiled, taking the simple comment as a compliment.

"Power." Lance stated, pulling the Psychic into his arms again. "You and I are both very in-tune with the energies of our preferred type." Lance began, "Dragons are, statistically speaking, the most powerful type." he noted.

"Yes, you've said so." Will smiled, "Many times." Lance had a bad habit of rambling on about how much he idolized his dragons and the power they represented.

"I'm sure you're aware that some of the most powerful individual Pokemon, many of the ones that protect or created some aspect of the world, are Psychic." Lance said, knowing that Will was quite fond of his studies. Will nodded in confirmation. "You harness powerful energy within you, and so do I." Lance pointed out, "It makes us stronger as trainers, but at the same time, it's a part of us. You don't just have a few Psychic-type Pokemon, you have the energy of a Psychic within you. As a member of Blackthorn's Dragon Clan, I have the Dragon energy in my blood, I was born with it." He explained.

"I think I understand, but what exactly is the end result of this?" Will questioned, turning slightly so he could get closer to the Dragon Master.

"Well, think about it. Your power and mine combined becomes something even stronger than we were already." the redhead stated, "The feeling of us united together is intense, because of the energy it creates. _That's_ what you're feeling when you're with me... Or at least, that's all I can come up with" He offered.

"That... Makes a lot of sense, actually." Will smiled, laying down on his side. "As fascinating as that is, I really don't think I'm capable of adding anything worthwhile onto your idea there." He apologized, as he felt Lance's weight dropping to his side. The violette turned around to face his bedmate, leaning in for a gentle kiss. "I think I'm out for the night..." He said with a small smile. "Did you want to spend the night, or should you be back in your room?" He asked gently, secretly hoping that he could fall asleep in the Dragon Master's arms.

"I would love nothing more than waking up next to you." Lance said in a whisper, pulling the young Psychic in closer. "Besides, I'm already naked and exhausted, might as well stay here." Will smiled warmly, his chest feeling warm with joy. He reached out with his mind, smothering the fire of the candles that lit the room, and for once he felt safe in the darkness of the night. The two settled, and whispered drowsy words of tenderness to each other as they laid in each other's arms. Lance was the first to fall into dreams, still firmly embracing the Psychic even as he slept. Will pulled at the ribbon which held his mask on, unraveling the bow with the power of his mind. Surely Lance respected him enough not to take advantage of the opportunity to gaze upon him without his mask, and even if he did, he wouldn't have minded. He allowed it to rest on the bedside table. Leaning in, he stole one last kiss from the man's lips as he slept, and he could have sworn he felt the Dragon Master kissing him back. He pressed his face, the bare skin of it, into the crook of the redhead's neck before allowing himself to sleep.

* * *

_**A/N**: Again, I have little to say. Everybody have a happy Christmas/holiday season. I'm off to go write some more. I honestly meant to post a happy family story about Giovanni and Silver, but I've been busy working on this, so too bad. I'll post that... Eventually. Probably in June._


	7. Dragon Blood

_**A/N**: Lots of Lance this time around, he even gets his very own flashback chapter. And he has dad problems. As in his dad is kind of a dick. And the drama unfolds. Thank you to my own Lance who I continue to refer to as Lance despite their name not even being Lance. And thank you to Darcy for being cool about reading this despite not really being into the homosex, you're great, and no you're not the Lance I mention in all of my Author's Notes._

_**Chapter Seven:** Dragon Blood  
__****__Word C_ount: 6,900 (roughly)  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, OC - Lance's father, Clair, Dragon Clan Elder, various OCs - Dragon Clan priests  
__**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will)  
__**Warnings:** Some swearing, minor violence (a teeny tiny little bit of blood and cutting)  
_

* * *

Lance was the first to wake out of the two of them, and he smiled as he felt the Psychic still wrapped up in his arms. He paused as he noticed the bareness of the violette's face, nothing but skin pressed against his chest. He looked over to the bedside table, and noticed a familiar black mask sitting on it. Will had taken his mask off, and every part of him wondered why. He reached over Will to grab the mask that sat on the bedside table, rousing the violette from sleep. Will stirred quietly, shifting against the Dragon Master's chest as he picked up the Psychic's mask, pulling it back in close to him.

"Lance..." Will said, his voice soft and drowsy. Lance hugged the small body closer to him, kissing the heather-coloured locks that sprouted from the Psychic's pretty head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Lance apologized quietly. "You left your mask on the table." He explained, as Will took the aforementioned face-concealer with a gentle grip, turning his face down so he could put it on, tying the ribbon in a bow behind his head.

"I know..." Will smiled, leaning up and pecking the Dragon Master's lips gently, his face now safely hidden once more. "I felt like I could trust you." Lance pulled his bedmate on top of him gently, the two touching and kissing tenderly in the sluggish warmth of the morning. "I've never done any of this before..." Will said, piquing the Champion's interest.

"What do you mean?" Lance asked.

"A lot..." Will said, his explanation vague and somewhat confusing. "I mean, I've never spent the whole night with anybody like that, I've never woken up in somebody else's arms." He said. "Well, there was this one guy, but..." He trailed off. "Never mind." He said, forcing his memories back into the far, dusty corners of his mind. "I've never felt like I could take my mask off in bed with anybody else, either. Not even if they were asleep. I've never trusted anybody like that." Lance smiled slightly.

"I'm glad to be the first." He said, tilting his head so he could kiss the Psychic's neck gently.

"Are you okay with what happened last night?" Will questioned quietly, nervously. Lance smiled, chuckling softly against the skin of his neck, sending tingling vibrations through the muscle beneath.

"You mean how you rubbed one off on my stomach?" Lance asked. "Why wouldn't I be?" He questioned.

"Well, you said you didn't want to have sex or anything..." Will recalled.

"And we _didn't _have sex." Lance stated, "So why would I be upset?" Will pulled back, staring at the Dragon Master with a curious look in his eyes. "I know what you're getting at." Lance smiled, "It's just different, alright? Same concept, just a lot more intimate."

"Two bodies joining together as one?" Will questioned, causing the redhead to nod. "In a way that can't be taken back or reversed..." Lance pulled him in, kissing him tenderly on the lips.

"I thought you said you didn't read minds without consent." Lance smirked.

"I usually don't." Will smiled back. "It's not my fault if you try to project your thoughts into my head." with another kiss, Lance had his hands gently tracing up and down on the smooth skin of the violette's back; his skin was like heated silk beneath his fingertips, and he adored the soft sighs that escaped from perfectly pink lips as he adored the body above him, his lips returning to kiss the Psychic's pale neck. "I want to hear more about your glowing dragon thing." Will said, absent-minded, his breathing heavy as the Dragon Master kissed and touched him sensually.

"Not until you-" Lance began, only to have his lips smothered with Will's mid-sentence.

"You _promised_." Will pointed out, his voice soft and pleading. The Dragon Master smiled, giving in to the request of the Psychic.

"Fine, you're right." Lance said, preparing to tell a story of his own past. "Alright, it was... Ten years ago now." He began.

* * *

Lance had slept peacefully for several hours, only to be woken abruptly by a rough shaking by his shoulders, which were unsurprisingly bare. Lance made a groan, mumbling noises of protest, his body not ready to wake. Lance opened his eyes with struggle, only to see his teacher above him.

"Lance, time to rise." his teacher said, earning a baffled look from Lance. It was the middle of the night, he could see the darkened sky from his bedroom window.

"I think you're a few hours early, teacher." Lance yawned, closing his eyes again, only to be shaken more roughly by his teacher. Lance growled, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"No, Lance." his teacher said, "It is _time_. The Elder summons you." Lance opened his eyes again, this time much more attentive. "It is time for your _judgment_." Lance sat up at those words, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and getting up, stretching quickly before relaxing his body into a 'ready' stance. He had been training and preparing himself for years, strengthening his bonds with his Pokemon like there was nothing else worth living for. The Elder's judgment was something of a rite of passage within the Blackthorn Dragon Clan; whether a member got a yes or a no was irrelevant; simply being called in for the test meant that they had reached a new level of maturity within the Clan.

"Let's not keep him waiting, then." Lance said, shaking off the remnants of his grogginess within a mere moment. Lance walked over to his wardrobe, opening the doors and reaching straight in, pulling out his ceremonial robes - worn by members of the Dragon Clan for rituals and days of great importance. He shed the sleep pants he wore, not minding his teacher, and dressed himself in his ceremonial robes in under a minute. Lance strapped on a belt quickly, then walked towards the door and allowed his teacher to lead him out, the two making their way for the Dragon Sanctuary. Lance brought out a Dragonair and surfed across the water on its back; the two were in familiar territory, for the Dragon Sanctuary was where the two met many years ago. Lance made his way through the solemn sanctuary with ease, taking in the smell of moss, dirt, and water that filled the damp cave. Finally, he found himself in front of the Elder's home, the little hut in the cave where his ancestor dwelled. Lance walked in to see the Elder sitting on his knees in a position of meditation, eyes closed, his two disciples standing by. Lance did not need to draw attention to himself, the Elder knew he was there, somehow he could simply sense his presence.

"Lance, my child," the Elder said, his eyes still closed. "You got here faster than I expected." he noted with amusement as he opened his eyes. Lance stepped forward and dropped to one knee, bowing his head to the Master of his clan. "You've always been the eager one." The Elder noted, standing. "On your feet, child, there is no need for such formality." Lance stood and nodded.

"Pardon me, Master." he apologized. The Elder merely shrugged it off, giving Lance a quick look over before smiling. Years spent, ever since he was a young child, listening to his teachers, taking his lessons in like they were a nourishment for him, and yet being left to find the answers on his own. All the preparations, the teachings, the training, the fighting; it all led up to the moment of truth. The day when the Dragon Elder would pass judgment on him, a final test after all his years. Every member of the Dragon Clan underwent the exam, and nobody he had heard of had ever passed, save for his own mother; a distant figure who he only knew when spoken in memory. The Elder asked him a few questions, about what he felt it meant to be a Trainer, what he thought of his relationship with his Pokemon, simple questions, and yet so important. He answered each one the way he felt was truest to his feelings.

"You have done very well raising your Pokemon." the Elder complimented. "You have my blessing, child." he said, bowing his head to Lance. His disciples seemed to be in shock, both gasping quietly. Neither of them even had the Elder's blessing, even though the two had received all of their training from the man himself.

"What an honor..." one of his disciples muttered. Lance bowed his head again, although he was unsure of what was happening.

"Is... Is that all?" Lance asked quietly. "There's no weird ceremony or anything, you just tell me yes or no and it's all done?" Lance questioned, confused. The Elder chuckled.

"We can celebrate tomorrow if you wish." The Elder offered, "But I can see you are tired." he said. "Before you return to your bed, there is one thing I must show you. Come with me, child." The Elder led Lance out of his house and through the sanctuary until they came to a large, open chamber within the caves. Lance looked around, curious as to why they were in such a place. The Elder brought out a Dragonite, causing Lance to look over at him with a confused expression.  
"This chamber is connected to an upwards tunnel, although the cave is too dark to see the entrance." The Elder explained, "My Dragonite will take you to the top. Up there you will see a waterfall... Or at least I hope you will." The Elder remarked.

"How am I supposed to not notice a waterfall?" Lance asked.

"The waterfall is sacred to our clan. Only those who are worthy may bathe in its waters." The Elder said, explaining the tradition. "Those who are unworthy will find the water deathly cold... Some do not even see or hear it at all." The Elder said, "When the waters deem you worthy, you will find the water pleasantly warm to you." he said, as Lance approached the Elder's Dragonite, mounting the dragon and preparing to be lifted up into the caves. "Dragonite, take him to the falls." The Elder ordered. The Dragonite let out a noise of understanding, and flapped its wings, carrying Lance up into the darkness. Soon they emerged into another chamber, lit much like the rest of the cave. The Elder's Dragonite landed, and Lance hopped off of the dragon's back, giving the Dragonite a pat on the shoulder as a thankful gesture.

He looked around, observing his surroundings with a quick but careful eye. He saw a river, and he could hear the water flowing. He followed along the side of the river, against the current, to hear the sound of water falling down on stone. The waterfall. He was thankful that he could at least see it. He approached the falls, ready to take his test. He reached a hand out for the water, which flowed gently, gentle enough for him to touch without getting lashed at. He reached into the water with his fingers, pulling away quickly. It was freezing cold.

He wasn't worthy.

Lance stared at the waterfall with rejection and disbelief, dropping to his knees. His hands tensed, clenching into fists as he sat, feeling deep failure, yet mixed with determination. He brought his fists down on his knees, growling. He would pass the test of the falls, and he would prove himself worthy of his blood, he had to. Having the Elder's blessing, he was already well on his way. He rose to his feet, hurrying his way back to The Elder's Dragonite despite his loss. Lance returned to the cave floor and told his master what happened, of how the water ran cold when he touched it.

"Even I felt the water as cold the first time I took the judgment of the falls." The Elder said his condolences. "There is always hope, my child." he reassured, touching Lance's shoulder with empathy.

"Elder, may I come back and try again to tomorrow?" Lance asked, a lock of red hair falling in front of his face. The Elder chuckled.

"You may return every day you wish until you are satisfied with the judgment of the waters." The Elder said warmly. "I know you have the strength to pass the test... You simply have not realized it yet." Lance bowed his red-haired head once again.

"I am inspired by your blessing, Master." Lance stated. "I will return daily until I am worthy..." he promised to himself as he turned on his heel.

"Lance, you do not need to prove yourself to anyone." The Elder called out as Lance neared the door. "I have stood by and watched you grow into a kind, brave young man." he said, his voice quiet. "You may not understand it right now, but someday you will realize that you do not need anybody's approval but your own." he said. "Not mine, not your father's... Only _yours_." the redhead felt a lump forming in his throat at the words.

"Th-thank you, Master..." Lance said in a hushed tone, his head hung. He made his way out of the cave to meet his teacher outside by the shore.

"What happened?" his teacher asked, "What did the Elder say?"

"He gave me his blessing." Lance answered as he reached the other edge of the pond. His teacher's face twisted to express shock and pride.

"_Truly_?" His teacher asked, "Do you understand what this means?! The Elder has not given any of our own, or any outsiders his blessing since your mother." his teacher said, his voice expressing amazement. "You don't seem very excited to receive such a compliment..." he noted with worry.

"I am, it's one of the greatest honors I could ever experience." Lance said, "It's just... I still feel as though I haven't done good enough..." he said with a heavy-hearted sigh. His teacher simply shook his head with exhaustion.

"My boy, if this is about your father-" he started.

"It's _always_ about my father!" Lance stated quickly, with a frustrated tone, "I could become the Pokemon Champion and he still wouldn't dare to acknowledge that I'm even alive, let alone any son of his!" he nearly yelled.

"Hush, child..." his teacher said, draping his arm around Lance's shoulders. "You know I have always raised you like you were my own. I have been more of a father to you than he has, and I am always proud of you." he stated comfortingly.

"I just want for him, just _once_, to look at me without that disappointed scowl on his face..." Lance said with sadness. He was a lonely child, surrounded by the praises of all but one, and it killed him. Everybody around him knew how he craved for his father's approval, and none of them understood how the word of just one man meant so much more to him than the word of everybody else.

"You need to get some rest." his teacher said with a sigh as he led Lance back to his home. "You're tired, you're overthinking things, it's putting you in a bad mindset." he stated, patting Lance on the shoulder gently as they entered his house.

"You're probably right..." Lance said, rubbing at his face, his eyelids heavy with the need for sleep. "I am feeling pretty worn down, now that you mention it." He noted, as his teacher led the redhead back to his room. Lance stepped into his bedroom, and began stripping out of his robes, tossing them carelessly on the floor. His teacher cleared his throat, and Lance sighed "Sorry." he apologized, picking his robes up off of the wooden floor and hanging them up properly in his wardrobe. His teacher said a good night before leaving Lance alone to sleep. Lance, too tired to put on his bed clothes, crawled back into bed in nothing but his underwear, wrapping himself up in his blankets like a cocoon, unable to stop himself from wondering if he was experiencing what it was like to be a Metapod. The warmth of being wrapped up in his blankets coaxed him to sleep in little time, allowing him to drift into his dreams before he could even realize it.

For the next several weeks, Lance had only grown harder on himself to reach his new goal; to pass the test of the Dragon Falls. Every day he woke up at the break of the sun, and went straight off into the forest or caves, not bothering to eat. There he would train with his Pokemon for hours on end, stopping only to have a quick snack he had hunted for himself, often berries or cooked Magikarp. Often he lost track of the hours and would not return home until the next day, staying out in the wild and sleeping under the stars. Every night he could, he returned to Blackthorn, he went straight for the caves and demanded to go to the falls to take the test again, and he would until he was satisfied with the judgment passed on him. His friends, his teachers, and what little family he had were all growing concerned when the Dragon Trainer would disappear for days on end, and return with new bruises and scrapes littered around his body, his body forced to take on more, thicker muscle to accomodate for the impossible trials he was putting himself through. What remained of his baby fat had burned away, and in his eyes burned a determination stronger than ever before. Those who knew him were both worried and impressed by the drastic transformation the young man had undertaken in a matter of weeks; not even a month had passed and he already appeared to be a man completely remade.

One night, as Lance laid under the stars with his recently-evolved Dragonite, he felt something he could not ignore. His heart was urging him back to his home, to take the trial once more. A driving force that was contained within the whole of his being was calling him to the waters. Without a moment's hesitation, he rose and asked his Dragonite to take him home, flying off into the black velvet sky. They landed smoothly outside the Dragon Cave and he thanked his friend for helping him. He entered the cave and went straight to the chamber where he would find the entrance to the falls, and once again flew up to the top, with the aid of his Dragonite. He walked over to the falls with a determined stride, his Dragonite following behind him with heavy footsteps.

Tonight was the night. He approached the falls like he had so many times before, but this time with a sureness he couldn't shake. He stripped out of his clothes, down to nothing but his skin - it wasn't as if his Dragonite was judgmental of his nudity - and didn't bother to test the water before stepping in. He felt warmth, the water ran hot on his skin, and he sighed with relief, closing his eyes and letting it run over him, bathing in the waters which once threatened to freeze him to the bone. He felt a powerful heat rising within his chest, and made a noise of content. For the first time in many months, he was able to truly relax. He opened his eyes, stunned to see a light radiating from within his chest. The mark of a dragon glowed and burned painlessly into the skin of his chest, wings spanning from shoulder to shoulder, a curled tail reaching down to his stomach. Nobody had warned him about strange water-tattoos being a result of bathing in the falls, but he took it as something worth his pride. He heard his Dragonite let out a noise of happiness, and he smiled over at his companion.

"I'm happy too, pal." he said with warmth. He took a minute more to bathe in the waters before stepping out, rustling his hands through his hair to shake some of the water out. He dressed himself with a smile, finally receiving what he had longed for, for longer than he had realized. His Dragonite urged him to take a seat on his back, and the redhead complied, to be flown down to the cave floor. He hurried to the Elder's house, opening the door with eagerness. He resisted the urge to announce his presence, as the Elder turned from his studies to smile at him.

"Well, let's see it." the Elder requested, knowing full well what had brought the Dragon trainer to him at such an hour. Lance wordlessly pulled his shirt off over his head, revealing the dragon mark that spanned his chest. The Elder smiled wider. "My child, I could not be happier for you." he said. Lance thanked the Elder. "You have a lot to be proud of, Lance."

"What shall I do now?" Lance asked, unsure of what he wanted at that point.

"I cannot give you any clear answer. All I can tell you is to do that which is truest to you." He said. Lance stared, a bit confused by the answer, "All I can ask is that you do what makes you feel whole. That is all anyone can ask of another." Lance nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Elder." Lance said, "For everything you've done to help me." he bowed his head with respect.

"Go get some sleep, my child." the Elder suggested, "You deserve to rest after all you've put yourself through." he said, causing Lance to nod.

"Thank you, again. Good night, Elder." Lance said as he turned to leave. He made his way back home to sleep, but could not bring himself to; something was keeping him up. He took his shirt off and stared into his mirror at the mark that had been darkened into his skin, running his fingers over it with curiosity. He sat there and simply stared, and he could have sworn that it started to glow again if he focused himself hard enough. Eventually, sleep crept up on him, and he passed out sitting in front of the mirror.

He awoke the next day, well past noon. He sat up, not remembering how he ended up falling asleep in front of the mirror when his bed was merely a few feet away. He looked at the mark on his chest once more before grabbing a shirt off the floor, pulling it on quickly. When he emerged from his house, a crowd of people awaited him, all wearing looks of pride and joy. They congratulated him as he stepped out. Lance rubbed sleep from his eyes, unsure of what all the fuss was about. Lance noticed Clair at the front of the crowd, and he approached her.

"Did I do something?" Lance asked his cousin quietly. She raised an eyebrow at him before laughing.

"The Elder told everybody about your new tattoo." Clair said with amusement. "The whole town gathered to congratulate you." she stated, flicking her blue hair out of her line of sight. "So, congratulations." She said with a bit of a dull tone.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Lance asked with a knowing smirk. Clair had always been the envious type, and she rolled her eyes at the question.

"Oh come on, it's not _that_ big of a deal." She said with annoyance. "I really don't know why they had to throw you a big celebration."

"You're just saying that because you don't have a glowing dragon on your chest." Lance said with a devilish grin, teasing his cousin.

"Whatever." Clair said with a snort. Lance's smile changed to express caring.

"Come on, don't be like that, I'm only joking." Lance said gently as the crowd murmured among themselves. "You're a great trainer, and a great friend." He said with kindness. Clair smiled, a genuine smile free of spite.

"Thanks, Lance." she said. Lance patted her on the arm before getting to the crowd of people who surrounded his house. They all said their praises and blessings, some of them returned to what they were doing before, others stayed around to ask a question or give the Dragon trainer a more personal congratulations. But his last visitor's message struck him deeply.

"I heard your father is coming back to town today." said the villager, one who was friends with Lance's father. Ten small words, and yet they put him in a state of confusion and disarray for the rest of the day. He had spent the next few hours at the edge of town with his Dragonite, talking quietly to his friend.

"What am I supposed to do if he _does_ show up?" Lance asked, conflicted. "Nothing I do is good enough for him, I don't want to even bother to get my hopes up on him again." he said, shaking his head. Dragonite hummed a noise of understanding, and Lance shifted closer, sitting pressed up on his companion's side. He sighed, "Do you really think I should go see him?" he asked with worry, his hair falling over his eyes. "I mean, staying out all night in the wild isn't exactly new to me." he said. Dragonite made a noise of annoyance as his master kept trying to avoid seeing his father.  
"Okay, okay, you're right. You happy, you big, orange goof?" he asked. Dragonite let out a noise of agreement, happy with his master's answer. "But if this ends badly, it's all on you for making me go through with it." He joked, as his Dragonite cooed and nuzzled him playfully.

"You... You talk to your Pokemon?" an unforgettable voice drew Lance's gaze upwards. Standing at the entrance to the town was his father. Lance felt his heart twist in his chest.

"Yeah, don't you?" Lance returned.

"Of course I do." His father stated with a matter-of-fact tone. "I just don't really have... Conversations with them." he said, unsure of how to describe how his son spoke to his Pokemon. Lance shrugged wordlessly, almost afraid to speak. "You look different." His father noted, bringing up any point of conversation he could to avoid uncomfortable silence. "Really different." he remarked, noticing how much thicker Lance's arms were.

"I spent almost a month out in the wild every day." Lance stated, as his Dragonite watched the two interact. "Shed off my baby fat and gained a lot of muscle." he said, uncomfortable with bragging to his Father in fear of dismissal. The clothes that sagged on him the last time they'd seen each other were now tightly wrapped around him, barely fitting him comfortably anymore.

"Why would you do that? You could have hurt yourself." He scolded, causing Lance to rise to his feet, scowling at his father. "Don't give me that look for being concerned about your safety." His father growled.

"Dad, I'm _sixteen_, not six." Lance snarled with annoyance. As if he would even _care_ if he got hurt. "I was doing it because I wanted to pass the..." He remembered how little concern his father had for the Dragon Clan. "Never mind." he sighed with annoyance.

"Well, then..." His father said, unsure of what to say next. "Have you been taking care of the house?" he asked. Lance started walking off towards their home.

"Might as well just take a look for yourself." Lance said with spite in his voice. His father followed him towards their house, and it was easy to tell their relation simply by looking at them. The two of them had the same red hair, although Lance's was a bit brighter than his father's. Lance led his father inside, holding the door open for the elder man. His father looked around, inspecting the house carefully with one look-over.

"You haven't been cleaning this house at all." his father grumbled, causing Lance to make a noise of anger.

"Dad, this place is perfectly clean, I don't know what more you expect." He stated. His father looked over at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't give me attitude." His father demanded, although he deserved none of what he asked for. "The house is clean, but I know you didn't clean it. So who have you been feeding your responsibilities to?" He asked accusingly.

"Why do you think I haven't been-?" Lance started to ask, only to be cut off.

"It's perfectly organized and arranged. You're too _lazy_ to pay this much attention to detail." His father explained. Lance made a grunt of anger, his chest heating up with frustration.

"I'm getting really tired of being belittled by you, you know that?" Lance asked with a glare. "Everything I do, you manage to find a way to tell me where I went wrong." Lance said with an angry tone, feeling as though his heart was burning with rage.

"I'm trying to push you to do your best, it's not my fault that you're too _childish_ and _shallow_ to see that." His father said calmly, causing Lance's cheeks to heat up with an angry fluster.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but there isn't a single person alive who feels '_motivated_' by being insulted and abandoned." Lance hissed, his father growing less and less patient with every word.

"So this is the warm welcome I get when I come home?" His father questioned, "You know, Lance, you may look all grown up now, but you're just a spoiled child, an ungrateful _brat_ throwing yourself a tantrum!" he shouted, crossing his arms over his chest, "What did you want me to do, Lance? I had to work, because your irresponsible mother ran off to go play with Pokemon. Who do you think paid for the food that was on your table every night, or that private tutor who looked after you and taught you about dragons? It sure wasn't _her_. She didn't care, she didn't even _want_ you!" Lance's hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

"Don't talk about my mom like that!" Lance was in no mood to keep his voice down, his hands quaking. Lance's father made a noise of disgust, turning away from his son, unable to look at him.

"_I_ was the one who provided for you all these years because she wasn't interested in having a family, and _this_ is how you repay me?" his father questioned. "She wouldn't recognize you even if you met her. And she wouldn't care. She didn't then, and she doesn't now." He hissed. Lance's heart clenched inside, and he felt as if his throat was closing up.

"At least she doesn't pretend otherwise." Lance said, causing his father to turn and look at him. The elder man furrowed his brow, glancing at Lance's shirt with a confused expression.

"What do you have under your shirt?" His father questioned with suspicion. Lance looked down to see that the Dragon Mark on his chest was glowing through his shirt.

"Nothing you would care about." Lance grumbled. His father raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is it? Show me." he demanded. Lance made a noise of distaste and pulled his shirt off over his head reluctantly, revealing the mark of the dragon on his chest, which glowed brightly with his anger. His father stared at it with shock and almost fear, recognizing it immediately "Where did that come from!?" He asked furiously.

"This is what I was training for!" Lance stated, defensively. The mark only glowed brighter as his father continued to push him. "But I guess I'm still _worthless_ to you!" he shouted in anger, his heart pounding painfully hard in his chest, the blood boiling in his veins. "Do you even know how many people receive this mark? Two people in over sixty years!" Lance stated. His father turned his face towards the floor.

"_Three_." he corrected. Lance hesitated, confused. How would he know? He had absolutely no concern for the dragon clan or it's accomplishments.

"Three? The Elder, me, and who?" Lance asked. "There's no way it was y-"

"Your mother." he stated, cutting Lance off. "She had a similar mark on her chest." Lance stared as his father explained, a bewildered expression on his face. "She worked so hard just to be 'worthy' of that stupid mark, to be judged by a _waterfall_ of all things, she forgot about all the people who cared about her." He explained, "I guess you inherited that selfishness from her." He said.

"If she was so terrible, why did you ever bother with her?" Lance questioned, calming slightly.

"Because I thought I could change her." He stated, growing tired of being antagonized by his son.

"If you loved her, you would have accepted her just the way she was." Lance stated with a low tone, offended by the man slandering his mother's name.

"She said the same thing." His father recalled.

"Maybe you should have listened to her!" Lance said, raising his voice again. His father turned suddenly, bringing his hand back and striking Lance across the cheek with the back of his hand.

"Do not _ever_ accuse me of not loving you!" His father shouted as Lance drew back in shock and pain, holding his cheek tenderly. "I have sacrificed _everything_ just to be able to take care of you! I easily could have run away like she did and left you to die!" He bellowed, as Lance turned his face away.

"Well maybe you should have..." the younger redhead said quietly, his heart feeling heavy in his chest as he turned and walked away, heading for his room, defeated. Lance's father watched as his son retreated to the solitude of his room, and he frowned. He hadn't meant to lose his temper with his son, and he was regretting it deeply. He sighed and went to sit down on an armchair, allowing his son a few minutes to cool down.

In his room, Lance sat on his bed, no longer able to hold himself up. He tucked his knees into his chest, his heart throbbing as his entire body trembled. He knew he should have just stayed outside, he knew seeing his father again was a bad idea. He hated the man, and the way how no matter how big or strong he got, somehow that damn man could make him feel like a weak child all over again. Lance whimpered, burying his face in his legs as he told himself how stupid he was for trying to impress his father. _Useless_, that was all he was. He looked up, over to the mirror that stood against the opposite wall, and he rose, finding the strength to walk over to it, gazing at the mark on his chest. His hands balled up again as he stared at his failure, the _stupid_ mark he was so damn proud of, all for nothing.

"All of this for nothing." He growled as he stared. "I worked so _fucking _hard for this and it's worthless." he said to himself, pulling his shirt back on with disgust. His entire body ached with sadness, he yearned for something to hurt his body the way his heart had been. His heart raced, and without thinking he drew his fist back, forcing it forward, shattering the mirrored glass with a single punch, making a satisfying sound of shattering and destruction. He heaved his breaths, his knuckles stinging slightly. He drew his hand back and stared, as hot blood leaked from his hand. With struggle, he pulled a few scattered shards of glass out of his hand, wincing in pain as the edges cut the entry wounds open even further.

He left the glass shards on the floor and walked away, his hand still stinging as he went to his wardrobe, pulling it open and grabbing an old shirt out of it. He ripped a strip of fabric off of the bottom, wrapping it around his hand a few times before tying it securely; it would have to serve him as a bandage for the time being. Slowly but surely, the pale blue fabric darkened, stained by his blood as it leaked from his hand, as the pain began to numb on its own. He grabbed an old black coat out of his wardrobe and pulled it on. He trembled as he approached his window, staring out it with regret, and yet longing. He pushed the window open, a plan forming in his mind. What other options did he have? He had nothing left for him at 'home'. He placed his hands on the windowsill and vaulted himself over and out, his bloody hand stinging a little from the pressure being placed on it. He didn't care. He had to leave, as soon as he possibly could.

He took off, running as fast as his legs would carry him, down the shallow slope of the mountain the town rested on. He ran for nearly an hour without slowing, and it was then that he realized how much stronger he really was. A mere few weeks before, he would barely be able to run for five minutes without his heart stinging in his chest, forcing him to give up. He felt different; he felt as if he could keep running for days on end. He was stronger, better. He didn't need the life of a small town with a forgotten history, he didn't need his father. He could do far better, and he would make sure they all knew it. He set off into a new life as the night swallowed him up into darkness.

* * *

"What did you do with yourself after that?" Will asked, not trying to pry the answer from Lance's mind; non-consented mind readings were generally considered invasive and rude, and he had to remind himself to stop snooping in other people's heads.

"I thought you were psychic." Lance remarked with a smirk.

"I _am_, I just don't want to invade your privacy." Will stated.

"Well, I'm not telling you." Lance stated, placing his hands on his hips. Will frowned.

"Why not?" Will asked, leaning closer to Lance, climbing into his lap. "I thought you liked me." He said teasingly, trying to coax the Dragon Master into telling him more.

"I do, I like you a lot." Lance responded, "But I'm not telling you anything else about it until I can get another date out of you." He offered, wrapping his arms around Will's waist, pulling him in closer. Will hummed in thought as he felt warm breath on his neck.

"When?" Will asked. "I can't leave here unless you decide to screw around with the power generator again." Will stated, gasping softly as the Dragon Master kissed his neck tenderly. He couldn't have resisted the softness of the Psychic's skin, the scent of him was near-maddeningly sweet to his senses. His embrace grew tighter as he heard Will moaning quietly from his touch.

"You have today off, too." Lance mentioned, his words muffled by the pale skin against his lips. A sigh was elicited as he carefully, very carefully, closed his teeth on the tender flesh of the violette's neck.

"I want to spend it with you..." Will moaned, his hands grasping at the redhead's back desperately. "I just want to lay in bed with you all day..." He sighed, throwing his head back in pleasure.

"That can be arranged." Lance smiled as he laid Will down on his back again, kissing the violette on the neck one more time before parting from him. "But first, I have to go check on the maintenance guys and see how much time we have left before they're done fixing the generator." He said, pulling his pants on quickly. Will popped up behind him, sneaking in close and nipping the Dragon Master's ear as he pulled on his shirt, drawing out a gasp and a groan of arousal.

"Hurry back." Will said in a soft tone. Lance turned and smiled at him, kissing the violette's lips gently.

"Do you really think I could keep myself away from you?" Lance asked as he stood, stepping into his boots. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised before he made his way for the door, leaving Will alone in his bed. The Psychic let out a sigh of adoration, falling back into the sea of blankets and waiting for his new object of desire to return.

* * *

_**A/N:** I was going to include more, but I think I'm going to push it into the next chapter, just to prevent this one from being too lengthy and insane. The next one promises to have some more fun drama and whatnot. Hell, I might even get to explain more backstory if I can fit it in without turning the entire story into one big backstory and no more plot._

_If you noticed, the part where Lance feels like he's failed his dad again and punches his mirror and hurts himself is indeed the same memory that Will was reliving back when he was reading Lance's mind in the fifth chapter. If you caught on to that, I am pleased. If not, now you can look back and smile because you know what's up._

_**AAAAAALSO,** if you noticed this, you'll see that this story now has a pretty cover. It was made by myself, the full image can be seen on my deviantART, cainviolle_  
_I also drew Lance with his dragon tits. So, again, you can look up my dA, or you could review or PM me and ask for links, and I'll message you back with them hopefully if I learn to check my inbox more often._


	8. Infiltration

_**A/N: **A happy new year to you all and welcome back for another chapter. I feel ridiculous when I realize the first eight chapters so far have all taken place within three days, with some flashbacks here and there. I like to take my time with these build ups, okay. Thank you, as always, to my dear Lance. Thank you to all of you who are reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it!_

_**Chapter Eight:** Infiltration  
__****__Word C_ount: 5,900 (roughly)  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, Koga, Various OCs - random Team Rocket thugs.  
__**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will), mild non-con Gyroshipping (Koga/Will)  
__**Warnings:** Minor non-con touching, mild swearing, some violence (physical fighting)_

* * *

Lance smiled as he closed the door to Will's room. He hummed quietly to himself, turning on his heel to leave. He stopped abruptly as he saw a shadow ahead of him, nearly running into another figure in the hallway. The shadowed figure cleared their throat, and Lance recognized the voice immediately.

"Oh, hey... Good morning." Lance said to Koga. "I almost didn't see you there." He remarked with a smile. Koga practically blended into the darkness, it made sense, it was part of the whole job description of being an assassin.

"Good morning." Koga returned, his voice kept much quieter than Lance's, which practically boomed through the halls. "This certainly is... Interesting." He remarked. Lance raised an eyebrow, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the candle-lit hallways - Will's room at least had the windows to allow the morning light in, the Psychic's fear of the darkness turned out to be convenient in the event of a power outage.

"Hm? What is?" Lance questioned, not sure of what the Poisoner was referring to.

"Well, I believe you and Will spent the day together yesterday." Koga recounted, having remembered the violette complaining about being forced into a date with the redhead. "And I overheard a janitor telling his coworker that he'd seen the Champion kissing a certain pretty young man with purple hair and a mask last night." He added on, as Lance slowly began to grasp onto what the Poisoner was implying. "And here you are, leaving his room the morning after..." Lance shook his head.

"No, no, it's not like that." Lance denied a bit too insistently. "We didn't..."

"You look like you did." Koga stated, "You look satisfied, in a way that can only come from the pleasures of another body." He smiled knowingly.

"We got naked, and we made out, and some other stuff happened." Lance admitted quickly. "Listen, I'm sorry, I know you kind of have a thing with Will, and I don't want to intrude..." He apologized, staring at his feet and shaking his head. "I didn't even mean for things to go as far as they did, it just happened." Koga laughed.

"Calm yourself." He insisted. "What Will and I have is nothing permanent." Koga smiled. "We've spent our fair share of nights together, but we promised each other no attachments. If you want to have your fun with him, you're more than welcome to." He reassured the younger man. "I'd honestly be happy to see him with somebody his own age for once." Koga remarked with a tone of amusement. Lance chuckled nervously, still not quite comfortable.

"So um... What brings you here?" Lance questioned, his voice tense.

"I was here to see Will, actually." Koga explained, "I was going to invite him to practice with me, but I suppose he'd rather spend the day with you." He said dismissively. "Have fun." He smiled, touching Lance's shoulder gently as he passed by, continuing his way down the hall.

"Uh, thanks?" Lance said, confused. He made his way off into the candle-lit halls, and he felt strangely drained by his encounter with the Poisoner. He dismissed it as nothing, but the feeling still lingered.

* * *

Will smiled as he heard the door clicking shut, still laying naked on top of his bed, his face buried in a pillow. He made a noise of content as he felt the Dragon Master's weight next to him, shifting slightly as he undressed once more.

"That was fast." Will mumbled into his pillow, turning his head slightly so his words weren't completely muffled out. He let out a soft hum as he felt a pair of warm hands on his shoulders, quickly sliding down along his sides to grasp his hips, pulling him up so he laid on his shoulders and knees. Will turned his head further so he could glimpse at the redhead, curious.

"Do you want this?" Lance asked, positioning himself behind the Psychic, the skin of his chest pressing against the violette's back. Will's face wore a look of confusion.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, struggling to push himself up onto his elbows, fighting against the Dragon Master's weight on top of him. He gasped as he felt the redhead roughly push him back down, forcing him to lay on his shoulders.

"I'm touching you." he said softly. Will frowned; he wasn't new to rough play, not at all, but something was different. Something was missing; the Dragon Master's presence felt distorted, the energy he gave off, the power that drove the Psychic to love every touch was corrupted. The spark of passion he had felt the night before was dead cold.

"I mean..." Will began, "_Koga_, what are you doing?" He repeated. The redhead breathed in deeply, feigning a look of unknowing.

"Koga?" The voice was the same as Lance's, and the body was the same, and yet it was all painfully artificial. Will forced his body to turn, laying on his back.

"Why are you pretending to be Lance?" Will questioned, as the man, the impostor above him smirked.

"How did you know?" Koga asked, refusing to relinquish the form he had stolen from the Dragon Master. Will's face expressed no amusement or arousal, and he began to notice all of the inaccuracies of the Poisoner's illusion. The faded freckles that dotted the Champion's face were a shade darker than they should have been, and he noticed a few specific flecks were out of place; had he really memorized the man's face enough to recognize the flaws of the image before him?

"Your energy." Will answered simply. "Your touch. Your presence. You can use whatever ninja magic you have to steal his face and his voice, but there's _something _about him that you can never replicate..." He explained, his heart feeling empty as the other man touched him, rubbing his shoulders gently. "Although I admit, you had me fooled for a minute... Until you touched me."

"Are you okay with it?" 'Lance' asked, his hands roaming lower, to find the violette's sides, fingers brushing over ribs that stuck a bit too far out of his skin.

"It's not the same..." Will said sadly, feeling guilty for allowing the impostor to touch him so intimately. He noticed that the slope of the illusioned Lance's nose was too shallow, and the tip was too rounded, causing him to frown. It really wasn't the same; instead of enjoying the pretend Lance for a fantasy come true, he couldn't help but see everything that _wasn't_ Lance, everything that just wasn't what he had wanted.

"He's never going to do this to you." Koga reminded him, his voice and image imitating the Champion's. "Not unless you let him love you." He stated, the intonation and pacing of his words was wrong too, he didn't talk quite like Lance even when he tried. Will shifted with discomfort beneath him. Will let out a noise of displeasure as the Poisoner grabbed his wrists, pinning him to the bed.

"Let go of me." Will said quietly, as the Poisoner leaned in and kissed his neck.

"This is the closest you'll get to him." Koga said, "We can pretend..."

"The morning after our first date?" Will asked, his stomach twisting in disgust.

"Does it really matter?" The man questioned, "We've done this before, not even an hour after you'd had somebody else in your bed." He reminded the violette, who struggled to be free of him. It was true, never before had he any moral dilemmas with his promiscuity; it was a natural human function, that was all he had thought of it before.

"This is different!" Will nearly yelled, "Get off of me, I don't want this..." He pleaded, unable to force his commands into the Poisoner's walled-off mind.

"How is it different?" Koga asked, as Will kicked his legs out pathetically beneath him. "Do you _love_ him?" He questioned. Within, he was struggling to find the answer to Koga's question himself. What was so special about Lance that he couldn't bear to consider the thought of betraying a bond they didn't even have?

"No!" Will insisted, his voice shaking with fear and dread. He made a noise that sounded like a sob as the Poisoner kissed him, nipping at the skin of his neck gently. "Stop, please..." He whined, twisting and writhing violently as the other man held him down.

"He'll never touch you like this, he needs to know that you love him before he'd even consider it." Koga stated, as if trying to persuade the Psychic to succumb to him.

"Then I'll love him!" Will cried out, startling the Poisoner with his response. "I don't want you anymore." He hissed with spite, "I can't have _anybody_ other than him." He said, his voice expressing defeat as he admitted his addiction.

"You always loved him. Ever since the day you met him." Koga stated, his weight lifting away. "I'm glad you're learning to admit it." He said, his illusion of the Champion fading into his true form. He began to dress himself, leaving the Psychic in bed to stare at him with wonder.

"What do you mean?" Will questioned, his body feeling weak and sickened.

"Don't you recognize him?" Koga asked. "You remember, don't you?" Will, anticipating the Poisoner's next words, shook his head. "When he would come to your room-"

"_No_." Will stated with a demanding tone. "No, don't talk about that." He glared at the Poisoner. "Don't _lie_ to me."

"Some day you're going to have to grow up and accept what happened to you, Will." Koga chastised as he stood, turning to leave. Will sat in bed, staring off as the Poisoner left him alone in his room. A feeling of loneliness was slowly seeping from his heart to the rest of his body, impossible to ignore as emotion began to take hold of him. His mind rushing back to a place long-forgotten, swallowed up in darkness, he numbed himself to the world that surrounded him. He laid back down in his bed, his body twisting and curling up miserably in the sea of silk beneath him.

So long since he'd allowed himself to acknowledge it, and yet it all felt fresh in his mind. He remembered coldness, confined to a bed in a room he couldn't even see; they'd taped and wrapped his eyes shut, for reasons he didn't understand. Crying was useless, his screams of desperation were unheard, but felt ever-present throughout the silence of the horrid black room. He hated that room so painfully that it sickened other people to simply stand in it, surrounding every occupant with the pain of his confinement. He had no choice but to stay. He was incarcerated within his own body, his own limbs betrayed him by being the very things that imprisoned him. The cold blackness that encased him threatened him daily, he nearly lost himself to madness, his mind forced to learn to exist outside the confines of the prison of his physical body, he began to see again with a different kind of vision.

He was broken from his twisted memories as he felt a warmth curling around him, his body flooded with calmness. Lance, the real Lance, had returned to him. His very presence was soothing, and without knowing, the Champion managed to pull him away from the sickening illusions of his past.

"Don't be sad." he heard whispered into his ear. "I'm right here." How had he known? Lance certainly wasn't psychic, and yet somehow he could read his feelings simply by looking at him. The Dragon Master kissed his neck gently, arms wrapped firmly around the violette's form. Will relaxed his position a bit, surrendering himself to the warmth that enveloped him.

"What are you talking about?" Will questioned, trying to deceive the Dragon Master into believing he was unafflicted. His breaths came out softly as he felt the grip around his body tighten, another kiss placed on his neck.

"There are ways to see another's feelings without prying into their minds." Lance informed him, smiling as he felt the Psychic's body succumb to the comfort he offered. "I trained myself to read people's bodies and faces during battle to better understand their strategy, but it translates into other situations." He could feel the violette's ribcage expanding and falling in again as he breathed deeply. "Your muscles were contracted and tense, you had yourself curled up in a defensive position. In most cases, that would indicate distress or discomfort."

"There's something else... Isn't there?" Will questioned quietly as he shifted back, pressing himself closer to the Dragon Master. He felt the redhead's mouth twitch into a smile against the skin of his neck.

"I sense you." Lance admitted. "Not really in the way _you_ sense people, but..." His smile widened, "I can feel you, intuitively. In a way driven by fate." He speculated with a whimsical tone, "I feel as though I was meant to know you. Ever since I met you, I couldn't ignore... _Something_ about you." Will nearly smiled himself at such a romantic notion. "I needed to talk to you, but I couldn't come up with the words to say. I guess I looked like a total idiot to you, standing around and mumbling my congratulations." Lance wondered, sounding a bit embarrassed with himself.

"Only a little." Will said with a playfully teasing tone. "It was kind of cute, I thought the Champion was supposed to be so strong and confident." He smiled in memory. He recalled the day they'd met quite clearly; the day that Will had challenged the Indigo League. Through great struggle and trial, he had managed to overcome the Elite Four and the Champion. Each battle was a memorable epic on its own, but simply meeting Lance, the Master of Dragons, famed throughout Kanto and Johto alike, was unforgettable in a completely different sense.

"I don't even know how I managed to seem composed at all." Lance admitted. Looking back, he had come off as a complete airhead. "I knew you were powerful, inside and out." Witnessing the battle between them was astounding, the energies of either combatant and their Pokemon colliding and creating a complimentary contrast against each other in a way that was nothing short of divine. In the time that passed by, he knew he had been witnessing what was the result of such a union; limitless power, an immaculate harmony of energy. "The clash between our strengths was..." He sighed, unable to continue as he remembered.

"_Breathtaking_." Will finished. Lance let out a noise of content, as Will turned to face him, shocked as the Dragon Master grabbed him and pulled their lips together, tensing up for a moment before relaxing into the touch.

"Yes, that." Lance smiled, rubbing noses with the Psychic, who felt a giggle escaping from his throat at the gesture of affection. "Do you really want to spend the day in bed with me?" He sat up, pulling a note out of his pocket, the one he'd received from Proton. Will's stomach felt light as he remembered the blue-haired man, remnants of his aura clinging to the piece of paper. "Because if you're up for it, we can raid a Rocket lair." He suggested.

"That's a Hell of a second date." Will forced a smile, sitting up, the soft blankets sliding down to reveal the skin of his chest. "And I'm already naked in bed." He said with a shrug. He stared as Lance stood, and opened his wardrobe.

"We can fix that." Lance smiled, pushing through the Psychic's clothes, grabbing the first things he liked and tossing them over to the violette, who gazed at the Dragon Master's choices questioningly. They didn't quite go together, but he could make it work. "I'm serious, let's go out and just wreck some operation of theirs." He said, turning to Will, who was beginning to pull his clothes on. "Unless you had something better in mind."

"Well I was thinking of not walking _straight into a crime lab_ today, but if you insist." Will smirked, standing up as he finished dressing himself. "I see you also made a point to change your clothes while you were gone" the Psychic noted as the Champion hurriedly swept him towards the door with a hand resting on his lower back.

"I did." Lance confirmed, feeling a slim arm wrapping delicately around him as they became submerged in the darkened hallway. "It's okay, we're only going to clear out a small hideout today. Nothing big." He pulled the Psychic closer to him as he noticed the tenseness of Will's body. He quickened his steps, for Will's sake. The two emerged into the light, and again the violette was calm, all signs of his fear burned away by the sun.

"Let me guess; we're traveling by Dragonite?" Will questioned teasingly.

"Yes and no." Lance smiled. "I picked out something for you that I thought you might like more."

"You know I have an entire flock of Xatus, right?" Will questioned, as Lance sent out the mount he had chosen especially for Will. "I don't need you to provide me with..." He trailed off as he stared at a fluffy cloud of feathers. "Oh, you're _pretty_." He smiled at the face of an Altaria, which approached him with curiosity. Lance watched with a face of satisfaction as the Psychic groomed the birdlike dragon with his fingers, stroking the blue feathers of its neck gently, cooing praises for the creature's appearance. The Champion sent out a Dragonite, still his preferred choice when it came to flight.

"So, still don't want me providing for you?" Lance asked with a knowing grin. Will glared over at him, although more so a joke than out of actual malice. "Hey, I know you like pretty things, and that you have trouble getting on a Dragonite. I was trying to be nice." the redhead shrugged. Will rolled his eyes as he sat himself upon the creature's back.

"Are we leaving, or are you going to start rambling on about how _majestic _dragons are?" Will joked, as Lance climbed up onto his Dragonite's back with a snort. With a swiping gesture of his hand, the Champion wordlessly commanded his draconic friends to lift into the air.

"Happy now?" He shouted over the loud flapping of his orange companion's wings. Will simply smiled as a response. Will noted how different it was to fly on the back of different Pokemon - he could feel the force of his Xatu's wings flapping gracefully, swiping movements that he felt beneath him, even Lance's Dragonite had provided a similar, albeit rougher, feeling in the air; but Altaria was completely different from the other two winged creatures in flight. Instead of feeling the constant beating of wings, he felt as though he were simply floating on a feather, gliding through the air with complete fluidity.

The two flew over the cities once more, passing by a few and going a bit out of the way of the industrial areas to land in a secluded wooded area; Will could only assume they landed away from their destination so they didn't attract attention to themselves. They emerged from the thick brush of the woods to find a small clearing, most of it filled with a warehouse. They walked around the edge of the building until they found a large door, with two guards posted outside, wearing standard Team Rocket rookie gear.

"So, how do you normally do this?" Will questioned quietly as they approached.

"Knock them out, drag them off, take their clothes." Lance explained simply, earning a strange glance from the violette. "... As a disguise." He added. Will chuckled.

"Well, no wonder you always come back from your missions looking like a Voltorb self-destructed in your face." Will noted with amusement. "Do you fight everybody you run into?" He questioned.

"Pretty much." The redhead shrugged. "Think you could get them out of our way instead?" He asked. Will chuckled at the question.

"I know I can." He smiled, quickening his steps and walking up to the two door guards. They stared at him with questioning glares.

"This is private property, you are not authorized to be here." One guard said with a low tone. "Leave, now." He demanded. Lance caught up to Will, standing next to his companion, watching the interaction with curiosity. He noticed the Psychic's eyes light up with the same purple glow he'd seen the night before, and several times before that; Will was reaching out with his psychic abilities.

"_Listen to me and obey._" Will demanded, the light from his eyes glowing brighter. "_Your body is mine to control._" Lance stared on as the guards' expressions changed, their faces turning from hostile to meek. He was near sure that he saw their eyes reflecting shades of amethyst as their minds were overpowered by the violette's commands. "_Give me the key to the warehouse._" He ordered. Lance noted how the violette's manner of speaking changed when he was manipulating minds; his voice, normally soft and often flirtatious, changed to express demand and power. "_Take your clothes off,_" He continued. Lance smirked at the words, amused by wondering how often the same words came out of Will's mouth in different situations. "_You are relieved of your duties. Go home and don't come back._" Will finished, leaving the two Rocket guards to walk off wearing nothing but their underclothes. Will turned towards the Dragon Master with a glare, the purple glow in his eyes fading.  
"And _no_, I do _not _use those words on a regular basis, thank you _very_ much!" He snapped at Lance, causing the redhead to let out a delighted laugh. He gasped as the Dragon Master grasped his waist, pulling him in suddenly and kissing him gently.

"You're cute when you're angry." Lance smiled, only making the violette's frown deepen. Still, he felt the Psychic's lip pressing up against his again. "You can't even stay mad at me if I just kiss you better." He said with a tone of smug satisfaction, releasing the violette's waist. Will shook his head, shoving a pile of clothes into the Champion's hands.

"Shut up and get dressed." Will said with an annoyed tone, although his lips betrayed him with the slightest hint of a smile. The Dragon Master did as he was told, changing into the Rocket Grunt's uniform quickly, and watching on with a smile as Will grumbled about how bland their uniforms were.

"That was pretty impressive." Lance complimented the Psychic on his ability to control minds. "But I still prefer punching them out." He admitted, as the Psychic rolled his eyes.

"Brute." Will smirked, adjusting the black Rocket Grunt hat that he wore. The violette, seemingly out of his need for beauty, frowned at Lance before stepping over to him to straighten out his hair, which poked out from under his hat, splaying around in a chaotic excuse for a hairstyle. "They'll _never_ recognize you with such a tidy hairstyle" Will teased with a grin; the Champion couldn't help but smile as the Psychic cleaned up the mess of red locks with his fingers. Lance was a bit disappointed as his close contact with his desire ended sooner than he wished, the Psychic turning to the warehouse door and unlocking it with the key he'd acquired from the guard.  
"What happens when we're inside?" Will questioned, refraining from invading Lance's mind to find the answer.

"We probably run into a few guys on hallway patrol, we get past them, and we keep going in until we find their central control room, we get the information we need, and we get out." Lance explained quickly as he followed the violette inside, the door swinging shut behind them.

"I thought Team Rocket died out years ago, when that kid in Kanto took down the entire organization." Will recalled.

"They did." Lance smiled in remembrance, "And that kid's name was Red. He's an amazing trainer." He remembered the mere child who had single-handedly dismantled an entire crime organization in a matter of months; something the local police force hadn't been able to accomplish after years of work.

"You know him?" Will asked as they walked down the halls, a group of Rocket Grunts up ahead.

"Yeah. Quiet kid." Lance remarked, his hands balling into fists in preparation to deal blows. "Now, let me show you how I do things." He said with a wicked glint in his eyes. They walked up to the group of Rocket Grunts calmly, neither betraying any sign that they didn't belong.  
"Hey, uh, we're kinda new here." Lance addressed the group, drawing their attention. "Just transfered from Kanto... Is there some sort of head of operations around?" He questioned, playing innocent. One of the group, a female, looked them over, seemingly more experienced than the others around her.

"Just down this hallway and to the right. I wouldn't waste your time though, there isn't anything to do except wait around for orders." She said with a bored tone.

"I just wanted to see if I could get a bit more of a private place to sleep. I'm not really a fan of room mates." Lance shrugged.

"Why, who are you with?" The female Rocket Grunt asked, a curl of orange hair falling in front of her face.

"Uh, no idea. We just got here." Lance's lies were starting to fall apart. Will sensed the group growing suspicious, and Lance growing more excited in anticipation of the fight he knew was soon to break out.

"What are your names?" She asked, pulling a slip of paper out of her pocket. "I'm in charge of the new recruits, I'll check for you." Lance tensed up slightly at the question; he knew she was going to figure it out soon enough.

"I'm Scythe, he's Violet." Lance made up on the spot. Will resisted the urge to laugh at the very obviously fake names, inhaling sharply as he bit his lip. The female Rocketeer looked over her list, then back up at the two of them with a glare, then back down at her list. Lance sighed, shifting his weight slightly and rearing back with one arm.

"Your names aren't listed on here at all." She growled, as the redhead took one of the male grunts by surprise with a fist in the jaw, effectively knocking the new recruit to the floor. "Hey, what are you doing?!" The orange-haired Rocketeer asked, as Lance smirked, swinging with a leg and swiping another grunt off his feet. The orange-haired Rocketeer growled, taking a swing at the Champion, only to miss as he stepped out of the way. The rest of her recruits took it as a sign to attack the intruders.

"Ew!" Will let out a noise of disgust as one of the Rocket Grunts lunged at him, sliding out of the way and grabbing the Rocket Grunt from behind with a hand on his head, his eyes lighting up a brilliant purple before the brute collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The pair of intruders worked their way through, knocking out the grunts one by one, with the Dragon Master relying on kicks and punches, and the Psychic manipulating his opponents minds into unconsciousness. Lance turned his attention towards Will with a look of worry when he heard a loud cry of panic, to see a particularly attentive Rocket Grunt holding the Psychic captive, making sure to restrain the violette's hands so he couldn't use his abilities to fight back. Lance stepped towards the last standing Rocket Grunt, who stopped his advance by threatening Will, an arm wrapped tight around the Psychic's throat.

"Let him go." Lance said, as the Rocket Grunt chuckled, his arm tightening around Will's throat, earning a choked cough from the violette, his eyes expressing no signs of fear.

"No, I don't think I will." The Rocket Grunt said, his arm only digging deeper in as Will struggled. The Psychic stilled his body as if accepting defeat, feeling the arm around his throat loosen slightly as he did.

"Surely, we can work out an agreement here..." Will said softly over his shoulder, shifting slightly. Lance furrowed his brow as he watched, hearing the Rocket Grunt let out a strange noise, as if aroused. The redhead's expression changed to one of shock, near horror as he realized what the Psychic was doing, catching fragments of a mumbled exchange between Will and his captor.  
"Would you like that?" He could faintly hear Will asking, earning a smile and a noise of approval from the man who still had a firm grip on him. "Alright... Just one question..." Will said.

"What?" The Rocket Grunt questioned, looking much less hostile.

"Do you really think I need my hands to use the power of my mind?" Will asked, his eyes glowing with the light that Lance was growing accustomed to seeing. The redhead frowned as Will's captor sank to the ground, freeing the Psychic from his grip as he collapsed. Will sighed with annoyance as he stepped away from the man, towards the Dragon Master, who raised an eyebrow at him. "What do we do with the bodies?" He questioned.

"Did you really have to offer to sleep with him?" Lance asked, ignoring the question.

"I thought it would be fun to tease him." Will excused himself, "Now, the bodies?" He repeated.

"Just leave them." the redhead instructed, still bothered by the Psychic's behavior. The two walked off, and Will noticed the Dragon Master scowling. "You just start offering to fuck other men right in front of your date?" Will sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really used to... Commitment." Will apologized.

"I noticed." Lance grumbled, still wearing an annoyed frown. The redhead halted in his steps as he felt a warm hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Lance, I'm sorry." Will repeated, "I don't know how I'm supposed to behave on a date, and honestly, you kind of owe me for letting _how_ _many _people flirt with you right in front of me yesterday? Four?" He recalled, as the Champion turned towards him, his frown softening into a slight pout. "I never wanted to sleep with that guy, I didn't even like him at all. It was a joke. I didn't think you'd care." Will explained gently, pulling the Dragon Master closer to him. Pale red eyelashes fluttered shut as the Psychic leaned in to kiss him, expressing his affection in a way he simply couldn't do with words. "You can't even stay mad at me if I just kiss you better." Will echoed the Champion's words from earlier, causing the redhead to smile.

"Let's get going, we still have more to do here." Lance said, taking the violette's wrist and pulling him down the hall, his discomfort forgotten instantly.

"Really though, Scythe and Violet?" Will questioned with a tone of disbelief, "That's the _best _you could come up with?" He asked as they walked along.

"She put me on the spot, what did you expect?" Lance asked. Will followed Lance to the end of the hall and to the right, as they were instructed by the female Rocketeer, to the central command of the small operation. They stood at a windowless door, made of metal, with a simple lock on the outside. Carefully, the Dragon Master reached forward and slowly turned the doorknob one way, and then the other. "Locked. Of course." Lance growled beneath his breath.

"Allow me." Will said with a smile, pressing his hand against the keyhole of the lock. His eyes lit up with the activation of his powers, and the lock made a clicking noise as it slid into the open position. Will stepped aside, gesturing towards the door with the hand he had placed against it. "Go ahead." Lance smiled slightly, sneaking a kiss onto the Psychic's cheek as a gesture of his gratitude.

The Champion placed his hand on the doorknob again and turned it, swinging the door open slowly. He peeked his head inside, letting the door swing open the rest of the way when he saw nobody in the room. Will felt himself being pulled inside, into the dark room. Lance frowned as he searched for a light switch, needing to find some was to chase away the darkness for the Psychic's sake. He felt along the wall until he felt a small panel. Smiling, he flipped the switch, half of the room lighting up with a cheap artificial brightness. The redhead heard a sigh of relief escape from the Psychic as they were no longer in the dark.

"Okay, search the room for any information on any other bases or any plans for the future." Lance instructed, heading off towards a desk with papers scattered on top of it. Will obeyed, making his way for the other side of the room, towards a set of filing cabinets. The Psychic couldn't help but shake a lingering feeling of discomfort, his chest twisting in the slightest bit of fear; he felt as if he were still in the dark, and no reassurance could put the thought out of his mind.

"Lance..." Will called out as he opened up the filing cabinets, "Something's wrong." He stated, his tension rising. Lance didn't look up from what he had occupied himself with.

"What is it?" The Dragon Master questioned, his concern evident, but still focused on the task at hand.

"There's another presence nearby..." Will explained, pulling all sorts of files out of the cabinets at once with his mind. "I don't like it." He said, feeling a bit drowsy. He had made use of his powers quite a lot that day, leaving him feeling drained; especially when it came to imposing his desires on the minds of others, a task that required much more energy than simply moving objects around.

"Don't worry about it." Lance said calmly, "The only people who know where we were trying to go are knocked out in a pile." He reassured, although it granted the Psychic no ease. "There's nobody in here except for you and me." the redhead stated.

"That's where you're wrong." A third voice called out from the shadows.

* * *

_**A/N:** And now I'm off to go work on the next chapter and you can wonder about it for a week or so if you like._


	9. Shadows

_**A/N:** And today's update is brought to you from within the Apple Store. Thanks, Apple, for letting me write yaoi fanfictions in your store without so much as sending one of your blue shirted lackeys over to ask me if I need assistance. Thank you as always to my wonderful reviewers, and my Lance. You're awesome._

_**Chapter Nine:** Shadows  
__****__Word C_ount: 4,000 (roughly)  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, Koga, OC - Rocket Executive.  
__**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will), Gyroshipping (Koga/Will)  
__**Warnings:** Language, sexuality._

* * *

"Lance..." Will called out as he opened up the filing cabinets, "Something's wrong." He stated, his tension rising. Lance didn't look up from what he had occupied himself with.

"What is it?" The Dragon Master questioned, his concern evident, but still focused on the task at hand.

"There's another presence nearby..." Will explained, pulling all sorts of files out of the cabinets at once with his mind. "I don't like it." He said, feeling a bit drowsy. He had made use of his powers quite a lot that day, leaving him feeling drained; especially when it came to imposing his desires on the minds of others, a task that required much more energy than simply moving objects around.

"Don't worry about it." Lance said calmly, "The only people who know where we were trying to go are knocked out in a pile." He reassured, although it granted the Psychic no ease. "There's nobody in here except for you and me." the redhead stated.

"That's where you're wrong." A third voice called out from the shadows. The voice belonged to a man, sounding no older than the intruders. Will gasped softly, turning to the darkness with a look of fear on his face. The confirmation of the dark presence only made the Psychic feel worse, about ready to vomit at that point, the files he had lifted into the air falling to the floor.  
"So, tell me, how did I earn the pleasure of your company?" the voice questioned, sly and demanding. "It's not every day that the Regional Champion breaks into your home." He noted, still hidden in the darkness. "And I'm guessing by the levitation tricks that your friend here is some kind of Psychic?"

"You know why we're here. Show your face." Lance said with a low tone, no amusement in his voice. A wicked laugh rang out from the darkness, as the Dragon Master began to make his way to where his companion stood, knowing the Psychic was surely uncomfortable. Will turned his gaze to the floor, falling to his knees as the Champion approached him, crouching down next to the violette, who shivered and stared at the ground.

"What's the matter?" The voice asked to Will, a figure stepping out of the shadows, "Scared of the dark?" He questioned, revealing himself as a tall, pale man with dark hair that fell to his shoulders. "I guess pretty boys are better off not walking the streets at night, anyway. You might run into the wrong people... The kind who like taking things without asking." He commented, as if he held no concern for the fact that his home was being invaded. Lance stared up at the man, who paced back and forth across the room, the long coat he wore trailing in the air behind him; Will, for whatever reason, seemed rendered helpless, doing nothing more than gazing at the floor and trembling in fear. "Speaking of taking things without asking, what _exactly _did you come here looking for?" The man questioned. "You might as well tell me." He shrugged.

"Information." Lance answered, as he reached out to touch the Psychic, who flinched away in fear. Will whimpered as Lance grabbed him forcefully, pulling him into his arms in an attempt to calm the violette. "Planned attacks, other warehouses, housing locations." He went on, his tone stern.

"Hm." The other man hummed in thought, "What are you calling yourself these days, anyway?" He questioned, causing Lance to frown, "It's _Lance_, right? Is that your real name, or is it Scythe?" He asked, brushing a curtain of coal black hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear. "Hard to forget a face like yours." The man stated, pale blue eyes looking over the two intruders huddled on the floor. "Better question, how did you know this place even existed?" Lance pulled the Psychic in tighter to him, feeling some of Will's tension ease, although he still seemed mostly unresponsive to the situation.

"I have inside sources." Lance stated, refusing to reveal the name of the one who'd betrayed his own organization. "Turns out you're all very easy to buy off, big surprise there." He said, his words coated with a good helping of sarcasm. The man laughed, the delight in his voice making Will's stomach turn; he had nearly blocked the whole world out at that point, unable to cope with the overwhelming dark energy that radiated from the pale man.

"Proton, right?" The Rocket Executive asked, causing Lance to tense up at the mention of his name. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about our little traitor of a friend." He smirked smugly. "He's up for a promotion soon. Wouldn't want to ruin that for him." The redhead frowned; the Executive didn't seem at all interested or concerned by the current situation, simply passing time by with small talk.

"What exactly is the point of all this talk?" Lance questioned with a glare, "You know who we are, and you know what we want." He stated, "What are you going to do about it?" He watched as the pale man walked over to a desk, opening the top drawer and pulling out a stack of papers. He sat down with a sigh, flipping through the papers as if the pair of intruders had the least of his concern.

"Listen, I'm _really_ _not_ in the mood to fight today. I'm going to help you." The man answered, pulling a single paper out of the stack and placing it aside before continuing looking through the pile of papers, "I'll give you this information you're looking for." He offered, pulling out a few more select papers and placing them aside.

"On what conditions?" The Champion asked, growing suspicious. The dark haired man smiled and laughed softly to himself, expecting such a response from a man who was supposed to be his enemy.

"There's no catch." The man answered, although he knew he wouldn't be believed. "You saved my life once, Lance, Scythe; _whoever _you are. I owe you something for that, don't I?" He asked with a grin. "You may find this hard to believe, but there _is_ such a thing as honor among fuckers." He chuckled, standing up, holding a few papers in his hand. He walked over to Lance and Will, the latter of which panicked and suddenly regained his senses, crawling backwards along the floor, backing himself into a corner out of his desire to stay as far away from the man as possible. Lance stood, making sure to place himself between the other man and Will out of a need to protect his passion-mate.

"Why don't I believe you?" Lance questioned with a glare, as the man walked up to him, holding the papers out in front of him. "There must be something you expect in return for this." The Champion said as he snatched the papers out of his hand. The dark haired man sighed while he watched Lance fold the papers and stuff them in his pocket.

"Fine." He smiled, "Your friend over there..." He started off, crossing his arms over his chest. "I want to see his face."

"Out of the question." Lance said firmly, not seeing the violette tense up from where he sat in the corner, tucking his knees in to his chest.

"Then his name?" The man questioned. "All I want is a name." He said. Will looked up with difficulty, feeling a deep discomfort in his chest as he stared at the dark haired man.

"You first." Will spat out, his voice dripping with his terror.

"Shade." The man stated with a smile, "Your resident Rocket Executive, specializing in Dark type Pokemon." He declared, blue eyes shining with delight as he watched the violette squirm with nervousness. "So, who are you?" He questioned, his attention now brought to the Psychic.

"Will." The Psychic hissed, turning his gaze back towards the floor. Lance stepped towards the violette, crouching down by his side again.

"There, you got what you wanted." Lance stated, "Can we leave now?" He asked, carefully reaching out for Will, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, Will did not move away from him in fear as the Champion would have expect, instead he leaned into the touch as if seeking comfort. He felt dizzy, his head was spinning with nausea, a sickened fluttering in his throat as he sat in a pathetic slump on the floor.

"Go ahead." The man, Shade, said, stepping away from the two of them. "We should catch up some time, Lance." He suggested with a grin, causing the two intruders discomfort. Lance pulled the Psychic closer, helping him rise to his feet, feeling the violette placing most of his weight on his body; he was scared to the point where he could barely even stand.

"Not interested." Lance stated as he walked off. He practically carried Will through the room, making sure to support the weakened form that clung onto him desperately. "I'm so sorry." He muttered as he dragged Will down the hallway. He paused as soon as they were a good distance away from Shade, taking a moment to pick the violette up off of his feet, carrying him the rest of the way to the exit. Lance shifted awkwardly to open the door without dropping the Psychic, emerging into the fresh air and the bright light of day.

Will whimpered and mewled softly in the aftershock of the encounter as the Champion released his Dragonite. Will could barely keep his eyes open as he felt the Dragon Master seating him upon the orange creature's back. Lance sat behind the Psychic, wrapping an arm around the violette's middle to keep him from losing his balance and falling off in his weakened state. He had no idea what had caused Will such strife, but he felt guilty knowing that he had indirectly caused it by bringing the violette to the thing that left him debilitated with fear. The redhead watched with worry as the Psychic slumped forward, either too weak to hold himself up, or falling into unconsciousness - he couldn't quite be sure, but either way he placed his hands on either side of Will's body in attempt to secure him as they ascended.

When they returned home, the Dragon Master's suspicions were confirmed; Will had passed out shortly after they'd left the warehouse. Carefully, he pulled the limp body off of his Dragonite, taking the violette's unconscious form into his arms. He carried Will into the League building and down the halls, brushing off any questions he received as he headed for his own room. Lance lowered Will's legs and held the slim body tight against his chest as he took out his key and unlocked the door before picking the violette up again, cradling the Psychic in his arms like a beloved bride as he approached his bedroom. With steady arms, he lowered Will's body down onto his bed, laying the violette on top of the blankets with great care. The redhead leaned in to kiss the Psychic's forehead before moving to take the shoes off of his feet.

Lance unzipped the shirt he wore, placing it aside without paying attention. He lowered himself onto his bed, crawling over to the violette and turning the smaller man's body so it faced him. The redhead wrapped up his bedmate up in his arms, closed his eyes, and waited for the Psychic to wake again. His mind drifted as he laid still, taking in the warmth and the scent that he adored. "_I love you_." He had mumbled into purple hair without thinking. Perhaps it was too soon for him to be admitting to such a deep feeling, but he didn't want to take it back.

In truth, Will had been awake since Lance had placed him down on the bed. He had neglected to make his consciousness known both because he still felt horribly drained, and because he was interested in what Lance would do to him while he assumed he wouldn't be awake to know about it. Never had he expected those words to slip from the Champion's mouth. He wanted to find a way to believe that somehow Lance didn't mean it; he was delirious, he needed sleep, there had to be _some way _to deny that the man could possibly care for him at all, let alone love him. Yet, he found nothing. In his heart, Lance truly did love him. He felt tears brimming his eyes as he struggled to wrap his mind around the concept, _'Why me?'_ he asked himself. He was damaged goods, how could anybody want something after it had been used and broken by another? _'I'm going to hurt him if I let him love me'_ he told himself in his mind with a heavy feeling in his chest, as if he were choking on the air he breathed.

He had no other choice. He had to end it for Lance's sake - it wasn't as if he cared for the man, or at least, he kept trying to convince himself that he held no concern for the Champion's heart. Lance was kind, he didn't deserve to feel such pain from chasing a love he could never have. The Psychic felt his heart twisting in on itself, secretly he knew he didn't want to give up the joy he felt simply by meeting eyes with the Dragon Master. It enthralled and terrified him all at once, and rather than risk the pain of love, he was running away from the potential of it. Will laid unmoving and silent for a minute more before he made his consciousness evident to the Dragon Master, shifting slightly and kissing the man on his chin. He could see the redhead's lips turn up into a smile.

"Will..." The Dragon Master stated quietly, sounding both relieved and worried. "Are you alright? You passed out..." He asked softly with a quick explanation. Will nodded, silently closing his heart off to the Champion. "What happened? Was it something to do with Shade?" He questioned, so pointlessly concerned for his well-being.

"I promise I'll tell you some day..." Will lied with a cold tone, his face betraying no trace of emotion. "I just want to get some rest now." He felt the Champion's embrace tighten around him, and it made him frown.

He allowed himself to drift into a much more relaxed sleep, knowing nothing else to pass the time as he waited. He woke again, and the room was darkened by the night. All that could be heard was the soft, slumbering breathing of the Dragon Master, his chest softly expanding and collapsing against his own. Slowly, he slipped away from the other man, sitting up as he managed to escape the redhead's embrace. He found his shoes on the floor and pushed his feet into them, sighing softly. He heard a soft mumbling and turned to see the Champion's eyes set questioningly upon him.

"What's wrong?" Lance asked in a murmured voice, his eyelids heavy. Will placed his hand on the Champion's bare arm.

"I'm just going to get some water. I'll only be a minute." He explained in a soft voice. "_Go back to sleep._" his eyes lit up in the dark as he willed the Dragon Master to fall back into dreams. The Psychic turned for the door and crept along the carpeted floor of the room, leaving the Champion with nothing but shadows and silence. It wasn't a new task for him; he had snuck out of bed and abandoned bedmates in the middle of the night more often than not. For reasons he couldn't place, he found it so much more difficult to leave than he normally did. No emotional attachments, he had promised himself, so what had been different that time? Hesitating, he turned to give Lance one last look before he closed the door behind him.

Will quietly made his way down the halls, his feet light on the floor, careful not to make too much noise - it was late, he didn't want to disrupt the sleep of the others who stayed their nights at the League Hall. He had learned from personal experience that some of the occupants (namely, Bruno) were particularly beastly when woken before a reasonable hour. He cursed softly as the heels of his shoes kept clicking against the polished marble as he walked. Forcing his mind to concentrate, he felt himself lifting off of the ground just slightly, hovering a few inches off the floor as he glided the rest of the way through the dark, pleased with the soundlessness of his travel.

The Psychic landed outside of a door to one of the rooms, letting out a tired breath. Undeniably, he had overworked his psychic abilities two times over for the day, which only got worse when he decided to use his abilities to levitate the weight of his body for any distance, even a short one. He pressed his hand against the door and strained his mind to unlock it, feeling short of breath as the lock clicked into the open position. Quietly, he opened the door and stepped through, shutting it behind him and locking it. It wasn't his room, but it was one he spent many nights in regardless, one he knew well enough to navigate in the darkness. The violette stepped through the room, approaching the doors of the bedroom and opening them with a careful hand. His eyes had adjusted to the lacking light, and he walked into the bedroom, his gaze fixed on the bed, frowning as he saw it to be empty, illuminated by a pale sliver of moonlight that crept in through the closed curtains. A soft gasp was drawn into his lungs as he felt a hand grasping his throat firmly from behind, the opposite arm of his attacker wrapping around his chest in a less-than-comfortable embrace.

"What did I tell you about entering my room uninvited, Will?" Koga's voice breathed into his hair. Will groaned softly, unable to fight back in his state of weakness; his mind and body were near fully drained, leaving him defenseless. It didn't matter, though; the man would never bring more harm to him than he could handle. "Better yet, what are you doing here? I thought for sure you would want to spend the night with your lover." He went on, guiding the Psychic towards his bed.

"He's _not _my lover. I never plan to speak to him again." Will answered, hearing a hum of content from the Poisoner. "I want you for what he can't provide me with..." He stated, feeling the Poisoner's arm loosen around his midsection. The Psychic made a noise of shock as he felt the man roughly push him onto the bed, falling against it weakly.

"Punishment for your disrespect?" Koga questioned, grabbing the Psychic around the waist, pushing his body up along the bed forcefully. "Because that's what I'm giving you tonight." He stated promisingly. Will turned onto his back, his breaths panting as the man pulled his clothes off, removing the violette's shirt eagerly.

"Just wanted to get laid." Will replied, closing his tired eyes as he felt the Poisoner grab his wrists, pinning them above his head. "I guess it's the same thing in the end..." He noted to himself as he felt a soft piece of fabric being wrapped around his wrists, limiting his freedom of movement.

"You're not fighting back tonight." Koga noted, "Have you finally learned your lesson?" He questioned.

"I can't fight." Will answered weakly. "I'm exhausted." The Poisoner smiled with amusement, continuing to undress the body below him.

"What was our Champion doing with you all day?" The older man questioned, "Did he make love to you in a forest for hours?" He teased, causing the Psychic to growl in frustration.

"I don't 'make love'. I _fuck_." Will hissed with annoyance. "There is _no _love involved, it becomes far too complicated to be dependent on those who can never satisfy one's petty emotional needs, and desires for companionship." He insisted, just before he felt the Poisoner's lips crushed against his own.

"Stop talking, or I'll wrap your mouth up, just like your hands." Koga threatened, not in the mood for listening to the Psychic ramble on about how pathetic emotional relationships were for the hundredth time.

"Fine." Will hissed. It became painfully boring to listen to the Psychic's stories after the first few tellings of Will's obsessive avoidance of love, subliminally painting the portrait of a scorned lover with abandonment issues he had yet to deal with and put in his past.

"All I want to hear from you tonight is..." He began before he shifted, hearing a cry of pain erupting from the violette's throat as his body was invaded by the older man. "That." He smiled.

When the Dragon Master woke, he found his room was still dark. The warmth that had filled his arms was absent; he looked around to see that Will was gone. He frowned, hearing a painfully familiar sound beneath him. Muffled beneath the level that separated his room from the one below, he caught the distinct sound of the Psychic's voice moaning in repeated bursts. Before, he was never anything more than a bit annoyed at his sleep being disrupted. But then, he had finally convinced the Psychic to let him get close, and perhaps it wasn't a long-term romance, but he felt sickened by the betrayal nonetheless.

But it wasn't betrayal. They had spent two days together, he still had no idea if he even loved the violette as much as he thought he did, and he had no right to claim Will as his own. Still, the fact that Will was completely shameless in regards to his promiscuity was insulting. He frowned as he pulled a pillow over his head, trying to muffle out the noise below, and also out of a small desire to suffocate himself as the feeling of abandonment crept over him. A stinging in his chest refused to let him sleep, he felt his heart ache in longing for what he couldn't have.

Admitting surrender to his pain, he sat up in his bed, lazily crawling out of it and over to a personal drawer of his. He pulled it open and reached inside, barely able to identify the contents in the darkness. His hand swept around inside until he felt cold, smooth glass brush against his fingers. The Dragon Master let his hand wrap around the neck of a bottle, filled with some kind of alcohol; he wasn't sure which, he couldn't possibly read the label without some sort of light. Either way, he wasn't picky; he wanted to buzz his sorrows away with intoxication, the specifics were unimportant. Quickly, the lid was twisted off and place aside, and he raised the bottle to his lips. He drank down his misery eagerly, and hoped perhaps he could drink enough to help him pass out for the night.

* * *

_**A/N:** I don't have much time to write up an ending note, but yeah. Lance is upset, Will is a bitch, and we'll talk more about Shade later, he is important. Thank you all for reading, and farewell from the Apple Store._


	10. Medicine

_**A/N:** Finally an update! I apologize for the major delay, my internet crapped out on me last week and I couldn't get it back for a few days, and then I got a new computer and I had to spend time setting that up before writing could happen AND THEN I got a Tumblr and that ate up about three days I could have spent writing. Anyway, the next update will definitely not take so long. I promise. I'm so sorry for making you all wait._

_**Chapter Ten:** Medicine  
__****__Word C_ount: 5,700 (roughly)  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, OC - Shade, Proton, Koga.  
__**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will), hints of Lanceshipping (Lance/Proton)  
__**Warnings:** Language (a whole lot of F bombs), sexuality, people being drunk._

* * *

When the Dragon Master woke, he found himself laying on his chest, body splayed out on the floor, one of his feet awkwardly stuck up on a chair behind him. He groaned, his head stinging with a migraine as he closed his eyes, pulling his leg off of the chair and sitting up on the floor. The redhead took a minute to gain some stability before standing up, his head feeling lightweight and dizzy. He swore below his breath, making his way back for his liquor cabinet; he knew it wouldn't fix his hangover, but at least he had the option to ignore it for a while. He drank down the liquid that stung and burned in his mouth, his eyes watering slightly as he forced it down his throat. He took in as much as he could before setting the bottle down again, leaving it open for later.

Moving clumsily, the Champion tossed the rest of his clothes aside, grabbing a change of outfit out of his wardrobe. He picked the bottle up again once he was fully dressed, swigging down another deep drink. His feet made their way towards his bed, grabbing his Pokegear from where it had been set in a power charger for the night. Another old number to be dialed, he held it up to his ear and listened to the trilled tone of a call waiting to be answered. His chest clenched in on his heart as he heard the other end pick up the call.

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk." Shade's voice said with a slight distortion over the phone, not bothering to use any formal greetings with the Champion. The redhead took another drink.

"I _didn't_." Lance responded, "I changed my mind."

"What made you change your mind?" Shade asked curiously; he was undeniably baffled that the respected Champion would dare to even associate himself with 'criminal filth' and risk his reputation, even with something as simple as a phone call. "Are you drunk or something?" He questioned jokingly, offering the only answer he could come up with. Lance peered down into the open bottle in his hand.

"Not anymore..." He admitted before taking another quick drink, "Not yet." the Dragon Master couldn't pick which one was more fit to say. A humored laugh broke from the other end of the line.

"Why are you calling, Scy- er, Lance?" Shade asked, mixing up names out of an old habit. "You didn't really want to talk to _me_, did you?" The redhead sighed.

"Fuck, I don't know." Lance admitted, his intentions unclear to even himself. "I feel like shit, and I'm still kind of drunk, and I don't know what I'm doing." His confessions of weakness spilled out before he could contain them.

"Come see me, then." Shade offered with a warm voice; he had a talent for luring his targets into false comfort and misplaced trust. "I've taken care of you before, haven't I?" he questioned. The redhead could practically feel the man smiling on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I don't think letting you '_take care of me_' is a good idea after what happened with Proton and the ether." Lance groaned, finally deciding to put his drink away.

"Okay, that was _your _fault. You two were being idiots. Don't blame me for that one." Shade reminded him with a matter-of-fact tone. "Just come and see me. We don't have to do any of that old shit, we can just talk if you want." He coaxed gently.

"I don't know..." Lance pondered the possible outcomes of the situation. He was weak, but he knew turning to Shade for help was a great risk.

"Lance, if you have somebody else you can ask for help, _why_ did you call me?" Shade questioned, "You don't just break five years of silence with somebody for no reason. You wanted to talk to _me_. So do it." there was a gap of silence between them as the Dragon Master realized the truth of the other man's words.

"Where can I find you?" He asked, hanging his head in defeat.

"Same place as always. For old time's sake, y'know?" Shade answered. "I'll see you there."

* * *

The dark haired man leaned against the wall of the old warehouse, blue eyes carefully watching the entrance to the alleyway he stood in. His companion paced up and down the narrow back road impatiently.

"Did he say he would be here, or did you just assume he would show up?" The teal-haired man questioned with a growl of annoyance.

"He'll be here." Shade answered quickly, "Quit whining, I didn't have to offer to let you tag along with us." a sigh of frustration. Proton crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, his silent alternative to sassing the other man.

"How long has it been, anyway?" Proton asked curiously. "I could barely recognize him when I saw him a few days ago. I mean, I guess I could barely remember what he looked like to begin with, but that was mostly because I was so fucked up back then..." He recalled with a shrug.

"A few years?" Shade suggested an answer, "I think it's been... Five years? Maybe six, I don't really know." He speculated, hooking his thumbs into his pockets.

"It's all kind of... Hazy to me..." Proton admitted, stopping in his steps. Shade raised an eyebrow as the teal-haired man turned towards him. "You know, I have no idea what my life would be like if I'd never met you."

"Well, you'd probably rich and successful at something." Shade joked with a grin. "You'd probably be able to remember that three year gap in your life that you can't remember now because you were always getting drunk with me." Proton stepped closer, and the Shadow Tamer brought the teal-haired man into a half-embrace.

"I'm serious." Proton stated, placing his hands on the Executive's waist. "You're my best friend, Shade." He stated, causing the other to smile. "You're my _only _friend." It wasn't entirely true; Proton knew plenty of people and got along with them well enough, he had a natural charm with others that made him easy to like. He had friends, but Shade was the only one he truly felt he could trust. Shade reached a hand out, grabbing the other's chin gently, tilting his face up for a quick kiss.

"You too." Shade smiled. "Now get off of me, _I'm _not the one you're trying to fuck today." Proton rolled his eyes at the comment, stepping away from the Shadow Tamer.

"I don't have to _try_ when it's you." Proton smirked. The two turned their heads as they heard footsteps approaching the alley where they waited. A hooded figure turned at the mouth of the street and entered, a long cloak flowing behind them as they walked, their steps placed a bit clumsily on the ground. The two Rocketeers shared a smile.

"You know that big, flowing cape doesn't help you blend in at all, right?" Shade questioned with a grin, as the redhead lowered his hood.

"Whatever." Lance growled, raising a metal flask to his lips. Shade took a step towards the Dragon Master, reaching a hand out for him.

"Quit pouting and come here." Shade demanded, as the redhead gripped his hand firmly. The Shadow Tamer pulled his old friend into a loose hug, patting the other man on the back. "Haven't seen you in ages."

"You saw me yesterday." Lance stated, as the Shadow Tamer unlocked the door to the old warehouse.

"That was different. You were with your girlfriend." Shade pointed out.

"You met pretty boy too?" Proton questioned with curiosity, slinking over to the redhead's side and sliding an arm around the taller man's shoulders.

"Yeah, he freaked out and kinda... Fell over." Shade explained, allowing the two inside. Proton smiled as he felt a familiar hand resting on his waist.

"Huh. Same here." Proton remarked, "Maybe that's why he doesn't like you, you keep taking him out to see people who make him uncomfortable." He suggested to Lance, as they made their way through the warehouse, stepping around some old furniture that had been knocked aside.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?" Lance questioned, his voice hazed. "He hates me and he's never going to want me, so here I am." He stated, his grip on Proton's waist tightening. The three found themselves in a dark room, one they all knew well.

"Who in their right mind wouldn't want _you_?" Proton asked softly as he led Lance over to a couch. Shade reached for a bag that hung at his side, placing candles around the room and lighting them one by one, creating a dimly-lit, yet romantic environment. Lance sat on the old sofa, feeling the cushion sink in deep under his weight. He stared up with a blush as the teal haired man climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning in for a kiss; an action that was met with positive response, the Dragon Master moaning quietly against the Rocketeer's lips.

"Not this again..." Shade groaned, although he fully saw it coming. He was ignored by the two, who quickly shifted their positions on the sofa, laying one on top of the other as their hands and mouths roamed each other. "I hate to interrupt, but you wouldn't happen to have his phone number, would you?" Shade called out.

"Who?" Lance mumbled, barely splitting from the other long enough to ask.

"Uh, your pretty Psychic friend." Shade reminded him, "The one we're pissed off at." He explained. Lance pulled away, preparing to give a longer response than a mere utterance.

"Of course I do." Lance slurred, "Why?" He pushed his lips back up against Proton's, his hands working to take off the other man's shirt.

"You should call him. Stand up to him, tell him what's on your mind." Shade suggested, as he turned a sitting stool upright. Lance grunted.

"No." He tossed his shirt aside, onto the floor.

"Fine, I'll call him." Shade stated as he sat upon the stool, black hair falling over one eye.

"Nobody is calling him." Lance said firmly, although it was unlikely he would remember ever saying such a thing. The Shadow Tamer sighed.

"Fine." He grumbled. Proton sat up, causing the Dragon Master to stare up at him with confusion. The teal haired man smiled and stretched out, reaching for the bag that Shade had left abandoned by the sofa. He rummaged inside and pulled out a small bottle, one that didn't contain alcohol.

"Want to feel better?" Proton questioned with a playful smile. Lance stared up at the other man, glancing at the bottle he held. He frowned, recognizing it easily even in the dim light. Proton could sense his unease. "When was the last time you-"

"Six years." Lance answered before the other could finish. "I can't go back to that, I'm sorry." He insisted.

"Just once, it's not going to hurt anybody..." Proton pleaded with a frown. "You need to relax, Lance..." He stated, "You're hurt. You deserve to have some fun after what pretty boy put you through." He smiled. Lance sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lance said softly. "It won't hurt anybody." He tried to convince himself of it. Proton chuckled softly, glancing over at Shade, who was pulling Lance's phone out of the pocket of his abandoned shirt.

"It'll be fun." Proton smiled, "I promise."

* * *

Will frowned as he heard a melodic chime ring out through the room, groaning and wrapping himself up tighter in the blankets he had nested in. It was near noon, and he had spent the night with the Poisoner. The older man was elsewhere, somehow finding it easy to wake up at any early hour of the day; it truly baffled the Psychic how anybody could willingly wake before twelve. His phone continued to ring, and he growled as he reached over to it, gazing at the screen; an unrecognized number. Figuring it could do no harm, he answered the call, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Will greeted curiously. He was unsure of who could have been calling him; he rarely left the Indigo League's building, and on the off occasion that he did, he scarcely spoke to others.

"Hey, babe." A masculine voice on the other end of the line greeted. "How are you?" Will frowned - a mistaken number, a waste of the time he could have spent sleeping.

"You have the wrong number, sorry." Will grumbled, turning onto his back, having to hold in a sigh of annoyance. A low chuckle hummed through the line.

"No, I don't." The voice laughed, "_Will_." He stated, informing the Psychic of his awareness to the situation. Will's frown deepened; the man on the other end of the line spoke with smooth, seducing tones, in a way that rang through him with terrifying familiarity.

"Who is this?" Will questioned, begging inside his mind that he was simply nervous, '_There is no possible way he could have my phone number_.' He insisted to himself, '_Calm down._..' He tried to force himself to release his tension, but even his self-reassurance was useless.

"Oh, come on, you couldn't have forgotten me already, could you?" He questioned.

"Tell me your name or hang up. I don't have time for this." Will growled.

"It's me. It's Shade." The man responded. Will froze up as a feeling of dread crept over his body. "Listen, babe, I know you don't like me but..." The Psychic cringed as the man referred to him by such a belittling title; even the tone he spoke with was enough to sicken him to his core. "There's something you should know-" Will's thumb shifted quickly, and the line fell silent as he ended the call before the other man could finish speaking.

The violette lowered his phone to his side and simply laid in bed, his heart forcing his fear to flow through his entire body with every racing beat. His hand clenched around his phone as he heard it ringing again. Call ignored. Another ring. Call ignored. It continued for a few minutes more until the room fell silent. He closed his eyes, feeling restful and releasing a shaky sigh into the air, breaking the still silence of the room. Shaken by a flinch as his phone rang again, the loud noise taking him by surprise. Sitting up, he raised the phone to his ear again with frustration.

"What do you want?!" Will questioned, his attempt at intimidation coming out more as a hysterical whimper.

"Hey, calm down." Shade insisted, "I didn't even want to talk or anything. I just wanted to tell you something about your boyfriend."

"Who?" Will questioned, confused.

"Lance?" Shade questioned, "Listen, I don't know what's going on between you two, I just figured you have something-"

"We _don't_." Will insisted with a growl. "I don't want anything to do with him anymore. Whatever you have to say about him _doesn't concern me_." Shade chuckled again, somehow amused by his words.

"Oh, so _that's_ why he wanted to visit." Shade remarked.

"What? Where is he?!" Will questioned, suddenly switching from apathy to anger, some small need to look after the Dragon Bastard emerging from his state of panic. "If you hurt him-"

"We didn't, don't worry. He's safe here with me." Shade laughed mockingly. "Did you ever fuck him?" The man questioned, painfully straightforward.

"... That's... That's none of your business." Will answered with a tone of discomfort.

"So that's a 'no' then?" Shade questioned. "I guess that's better anyway. He's fucking somebody else right now." Will paused, baffled by such a statement, '_He wouldn't_...' he fell into a state of disbelief.

"You're lying." Will stated, although his voice was shaking as he spoke the words. More laughter rang through the line.

"You don't believe me?" Shade asked, "Why don't you listen..." He could hear footsteps, and in the background the sounds of moaning and noises of pleasure grew louder.

"_Deeper... Harder..._" a voice groaned distantly. It didn't belong to Lance, but it was somehow recognizable.

"_Shut up, I'll fuck you however I want._" The other voice was slurred and fluid. Will recognized it immediately, his stomach twisted with a feeling of pain.

"No..." Will muttered with a frown pulling at his lips. "He wouldn't..." His hands were shaking, his stomach felt weak and sickened. He heard a shifting on the other end of the line.

"Well, what did you expect after what you did to him?" Shade questioned with a tone of amusement. "Tell me, what kind of insatiable slut do you have to be to fuck another guy right below his bedroom the _very same day_ you went on a date with him?"

"Y-you don't know anything about me." Will quivered. "I _can't _be with him. He's known this for years, it's not my fault that he won't let it go."

"If you can't be with him and you know it, why would you lead him on?" The other man asked, defending Lance, sounding almost offended by the Psychic's behavior. "If you _knew_ you were just going to run off and fuck whoever else you want anyway, why even bother letting him get his hopes up?" He went on with a tone of accusation, "Do you even _realize_ what you can do to people? You hurt him and he came stumbling to me, a_ filthy fucking criminal_, drunk out of his mind, begging for help." His words only grew more passionate, more furious as he continued.

"I-I didn't mean to..." Will muttered, his tone wavering, a hard lump in his throat preventing him from speaking in his full voice. He could still hear the sounds of sex in the background, the Dragon Master's voice tearing a hole in his heart with every moan.

"What's wrong, _babe_?" Shade asked mockingly, emphasizing the title he gave the Psychic. "Don't you think you deserve this? You do this to other men all the time, don't you? How does it feel when somebody else does it to you?" Will stammered, struggling to compose his words. "You're a heartless fucking bitch, Will. You don't deserve him." The Psychic whimpered a noise, no longer able to speak. "You hurt one of the nicest guys I've ever known, one of the _only_ people I would never want anybody else to hurt. I hope you're fucking proud of yourself."

"I'm sorry..." Will's voice cracked as he finally managed to speak.

"Prove it." Shade challenged, seething with anger. "If you really are psychic, you should be able to find him, right? So you can tell him yourself instead of crying to me." The Psychic was about to speak up again, but again, no words would form. "Good luck, whore." There was a click, and the line went silent. The violette pulled the phone away from his face, staring at the screen. Call ended. He tossed his phone aside with a noise of frustration, tucking his knees up to his chest and hiding his face in his hands, a pathetic noise of pain escaping from his lips. He didn't bother to look up as he heard the door clicking shut.

"Will..." Koga's voice called for him; he had returned to his room to see his bedmate curled up with misery. "What's wrong?" He asked, lowering himself to his bed to sit next to the Psychic, wrapping an arm around the slim figure's shoulders. Never had he seen the violette in such a state of weakness - Will refused to let anybody see when he was in distress, to see the younger Elite's facade of apathy broken could only have been caused by a terrible amount of pain and torment.

"L-Lance..." The Psychic sputtered out, his voice coming out in a half-sob. Koga frowned, troubled by the Psychic's willing display of emotion. Will pulled away from him, falling to the floor to gather up his clothes. "I have to go." He said with an apologetic tone.

"What happened with Lance?" Koga questioned, watching as the violette dressed himself quickly.

"I don't know. He's gone, he's with somebody." Will explained, his voice stuttering. "I have to find him." He stated. "Can you cover for me while I'm gone?" He made a gentle request, his voice weak.

"Of course I can." Koga smiled slightly, shifting his fingers into a transformation position. With a blinding brightness, his figure changed to match the Psychic's; even the Poisoner's clothes had changed their shape. Will smiled his gratitude before reaching for a Pokeball on his belt, his own body emitting a bright flash before it disappeared completely. In honesty, the Psychic wasn't sure where the Champion was; all he had to begin from was a guess. His heart pulled him towards Goldenrod, so there he began his search.

Will stalked the streets of the bustling city, ducking away into crowds in an attempt to blend himself into the masses. He reached his consciousness out, attempting to brush minds with the Dragon Master. He felt a faint response, a stirring of the other man's presence, but it was distorted; it was too clouded to be of any use to him. The Psychic would have to take a different approach in order to locate the Champion. He opened up his awareness to encompass the entire city around him, listening for every sound he could identify, listening to all and nothing at once; an old trick of meditation he had learned. An image of his target in mind, he searched for any other presence that recognized it, consciously or not. He opened his eyes; the warehouse, of course. It held significance to Lance, he remembered. He set off on a new course, down the path he'd gone with the Dragon Master only a few days prior.

He hesitated as he stood in front of the metal building, placing his hand against the door tentatively. With a bit of focus, the lock opened, and he made his way inside. Already he could hear the others, and he began his search. There were many walls and doors to pass through, and there were piles of unexplained wreckage blocking his path. Finding the building had been enough of a chore on its own; having to move random pieces of furniture and burst doors off of their hinges was simply tedious. He was thankful that he at least had his abilities to assist him in the task.

"Hey!" a shout caused the Psychic to flinch, he turned to see two of the city's security guards staring at him. "You're not supposed to be in here!" One scolded.

"Yes, it's very dangerous to be playing around in this junk, you're going to get hurt." The other guard stated. Will sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Where do you live, kid? We have to take you home to your parents." Will snarled at the comment.

"I am _not_ a child." Will growled. It had been long since anybody had mistaken his age, but that was mostly due to the fact that he hadn't met anybody new in a long while. "I'll have you know that I am one of the Elite Four of the Johto and Kanto region, a Master-Class Pokemon Trainer, and I _do not_ have to take orders from _you_!" He insisted with a glare. The two security guards exchanged glances, laughing in disbelief at Will's claims, only causing the Psychic more frustration.

"Alright sure, kid. Where does our little Master Pokemon Trainer live?" The first guard asked, trying to suppress his laughter. The Psychic let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, we need to get you home. Just follow along quietly and-"

"Alright, enough." Will said, surrendering himself. He walked over to the two guards, "I live just across from the Flower Shop." he lied, smiling as he felt the guards grabbing him, each taking one of his arms.

"Are your parents home?" The second guard questioned. Will's eyes brightened.

"_Go back outside. You never saw me here_." Will demanded, twisting their minds to obey him. He hadn't wanted to put much stress on his mind, he was still a bit worn out from the previous day's activities, but he had been left with no other choice. The guards released him and turned for the exit, allowing the Psychic free to find his target. Will grumbled to himself as he hopped over a worn old bed frame, disgusted by the complete lack of respect the guards had for him. He could hear the sound of voices growing louder as he drew nearer to the source. He pressed his ear up against a door; he was near certain it would lead him to his destination. He twisted the door knob and pushed it not even an inch open before he was halted. He cursed below his breath, something was blocking the door from the other side. A violet eye peeked through the small opening of the doorway, and with annoyance he forced the object aside.

"Did you hear that?" a voice from the other side of the door questioned. The violette couldn't quite identify the voice, but it sickened him.

"Something... Moved, I think..." Lance's voice, still sounding more fluid than usual. Will pushed the door open, making his presence known to the room's occupants. He emerged into a dark room, dimly lit by candles of various sizes and colours scattered all around.

"Hey babe." Shade smiled at the Psychic as he entered the room, clearly at home in such a shadowy environment. "I knew you'd make it." Another looked over to Will; Proton, the man who'd exchanged information with Lance. As if the Psychic hadn't been uncomfortable enough being around Shade.

"Oh, you invited pretty boy?" Proton questioned, seeming almost happy to see him. "Good choice."

"Where's Lance?" Will questioned, swallowing his fear for the Shadow Tamer, ignoring the painfully obvious advances made at him. He heard a groaning, and his eyes were drawn to a figure sprawled out on an old sofa. Recognizing it immediately, he rushed over to Lance's side, hurrying past the other men and sitting by the Champion, watching with worry as the redhead turned slowly to look at him.

"Will... How did you get here?" Lance questioned, his voice weak. Something was wrong, there was an empty look on his face, dead-eyed as he stared up at the Psychic.

"What happened to you?" Will questioned, unable to mask his worry. Lance smiled slightly, his eyes glazed over with a haze the violette couldn't place. It was as if he were drunk, but different.

"I'm fine." Lance laughed softly at nothing. When he tried to see into the Dragon Master's mind, he was met with a blurred mess of half-thoughts all twisted into each other. Will frowned, watching as Lance sat up with struggle, it was then that the Psychic noticed that the redhead was essentially naked, his cape draped over most of his body like a blanket. Will glanced over at the other two in the room, who were observing their exchange curiously. Proton was wearing nothing more than a pair of pants, Shade was fully clothed. The Psychic turned again when he felt a hand brushing against his face.  
"I'm so happy you're here..." Lance sounded euphoric as he spoke.

"What happened?" Will asked again, the situation only growing more troubling the more he found out. Lance leaned closer, pressing his lips gently against the Psychic's. Will stiffened, unsure of what to do for a moment, raising his hands to the redhead's shoulders. He pushed the other man away.  
"What did you do to him?" Will questioned, turning back towards Shade.

"What do you mean?" Shade asked innocently, "We only helped him. We made him feel better." the dark haired man shrugged.

"By doing what? How could you have made him feel better in a way that - _Ahh_..." He was cut off by his own moaning as he felt the Dragon Master biting his neck softly, yet demandingly. Will groaned as he felt himself being pulled closer by the other man, who continued to kiss and bite the violette, hot breaths panted out against the skin of his neck. Lance pulled the Psychic on top of him, using his strength to get his way when the violette resisted. A pleased smirk played along the Dragon Master's lips as the pushing soon turned into groping, knowing the Psychic couldn't resist the pleasure he offered.

"Are you hurt?" Lance asked softly. Will, a bit confused by the question, could see Proton and Shade carrying on with other things out of the corner of his eye; apparently the two criminals had some respect for the privacy of others.

"What do you mean?" Will questioned, "I can't be hurt..."

"Shade told me you sounded like you were crying over the phone." The redhead muttered, his mouth pressed into the crook between Will's neck and shoulder, his hands moving to pull the Psychic's shirt open, unlacing a ribbon that held it shut. "I felt bad... I thought I made you cry..." Will could feel the blood warming within his body; the timing was terrible, but he couldn't help but grow painfully aroused whenever the Champion touched him so tenderly.

"I was scared." Will admitted. "I thought they'd hurt you..." He said, almost sounding gentle, "I-It's my duty as a member of the Indigo League to protect the Champion, whoever they may be." He tried to convince himself that he had only tracked Lance down out of an obligation, not out of his own desires.

"I'm going to make you feel better..." Lance promised with a smile, as he pulled the other's shirt off, placing the delicate article of clothing aside with care. For a moment, the Champion pulled away, grabbing his own shirt off the floor to pull his flask out of the pocket, twisting the lid off and offering it to the violette. Will stared at him for a moment, wary to accept the offer. The redhead placed the mouth of the flask against the Psychic's lips, humming a noise of content as Will allowed him to pour alcohol down his throat. He watched as the violette's face distorted in distaste for the stinging in his mouth, cringing at the burn of liquor.  
"Close your eyes." The Champion requested in a gentle voice, pushing the violette onto his back. Will refused with a frown, unable to feel safe around the two criminals they shared the room with. "You can trust me... I wouldn't let anybody hurt you." Lance reassured him, as if he could sense the Psychic's tension. Wordlessly, the violette allowed his eyes to fall shut, placing his trust in the Dragon Master. He felt a warm hand resting gently on his forehead, and in the dark he heard a soft, short hissing sound. A cold, thick layer of mist fell over his face, and the Psychic felt a shred of worry.

"Wh-what did you..?" Will began to question softly, the sensation in his face quickly dulling.

"It's medicine." Lance answered, pressing his lips down against the Psychic's. Will opened his eyes with some difficulty. "You'll start to feel it soon." He placed a spray bottle down on a nearby table. A giddy warmth spread along his cheeks as the numbing sensation began to seep down into his neck and lower.

"Shit, um, Lance?" One of the Rocketeers addressed, "Has he ever done this before?" Will leaned his head back with confusion, his vision splitting in two and spinning soft circles in front of him, his throat felt tight, the air felt thinner as he breathed panted breaths.

"I don't think so" Lance responded; the violette's hearing was growing distorted as well, every noise seemed to double over in a loop. He placed his hands on his face in an attempt to feel something, anything, lightly slapping himself. His entire body was tingling with a foreign pleasure, he tried to ponder what Lance had done to him, yet he couldn't focus on any speculation long enough to dwell on.

"-_Gave him too much_..." He heard distantly. Will let out a weak groan, shifting and twisting his body unconsciously, feeling himself grinding against the Dragon Master. He felt the other man's hands on his hips, and he writhed at the touch, unable to focus his eyes on anything, the room having grown vivid in colour as it spun around him. He closed his eyes, and his vision darkened for no more than a moment before he found himself staring up at the Dragon Master, moaning softly. His eyes managed to look down at his own body; he was naked. He'd lost track of time for no more than a moment, he could have sworn it, and yet he couldn't remember when he had taken the rest of his clothes off.

"_Will_..." The other called to him softly. He couldn't keep his focus on anything, and it no longer bothered him; he could barely find a solid thought to cling to, he gave up on the clear-headed composure he once prided himself on. He closed his eyes and let his mind slip into the comfort of his numbness.

He could only manage a single whisper before he gave up on consciousness.

"_I love you_."

* * *

_**A/N:** I hope you're all happy, folks. Again, I am so so so sorry the update took so damn long, I promise you a thousand times that the next one will not take this long.  
_


	11. Another to Forget

_**A/N:** Remember when I said the next update wouldn't take as long as the last one and then I took about a month and then some off to do who knows what yeah I'm sorry about that, I'm back. There may be some awkward shifts in flow of this one, because I was writing it on and off at completely random times, but here it is. I did my best. I cannot apologize enough for how long this took me, I'm a bad author._

_**Chapter Eleven:** Another to Forget  
__****__Word C_ount: 5,400 (roughly)  
_**Characters: **Lance, Will, Koga.  
__**Pairings:** Masqueradeshipping (Lance/Will)  
__**Warnings:** Mild language, people being naked and touching._

* * *

The Psychic woke to find himself in an unfamiliar place, naked and warm, another body blanketing him. Lance, of course. He frowned, unsure of how he had ended up in such a situation, the memories of before a darkened haze. All he could recall was a state of madness, a world of distortion, colours and shapes that burned his eyes with their brightness.

Then there was him, Lance, the damned Champion. On top of him, kissing, caressing... Passion. Overheated bodies that yearned to unite, calling for each other with every touch, surrendering to the need. It was all hazy, but there was something, some distinct, flaring lust that couldn't be droned out by whatever the Dragon Bastard had drugged him with.

Lance shifted, causing the Psychic to whimper beneath him; he was still on top, spooning awkwardly.

"Will?" Lance asked softly, seeming to have regained his senses. He shifted again, and another groan of pain was released from the Psychic's throat.

"Don't move." Will hissed. "You're... In me." He growled, recognizing the feeling easily. "How are you still hard?" he pondered out loud.

"What happened..?" Lance began, struggling to hold his body up, not wanting to crush the violette.

"I don't know, you tell me." Will answered, "What did you do to me? I can't remember anything." Lance remembered something, something to do with a bottle, 'medicine'.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." He was guilt-ridden. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"What did you do to me?!" Will questioned, losing his patience. "If you wanted to fuck me you could have asked, I thought I made that pretty clear. You didn't have to get me drunk." He growled, regretting that he had finally had his way with the Dragon Bastard and didn't even remember it.

"You weren't drunk." Lance corrected with a tone of lament, "You were delusional. Hallucinating." He explained.

"Poison?" Will questioned, all too used to dealing with being the victim of toxins.

"Medicine." The man responded, carefully pulling away from the Psychic.

"Medicine _is_ poison if you know how to manipulate it." Will stated; it was a lesson he had learned from Koga. Lance paused as he processed the truth behind the concept. "Anyway, care to elaborate on what exactly you did to me?"

"I used a healing potion on you." Lance responded, "The kind they manufacture and sell in stores." He went on, "Using them on Pokemon heals them in battle, because that's what they were meant for." Will crawled away from the Dragon Bastard, finding his clothes on the floor. "They weren't meant for human use, so when you take that and abuse it..."

"You end up hallucinating because the ingredients aren't safe for human consumption." Will couldn't help but dip into the Dragon Master's thoughts.

"Exactly." Lance confirmed, as he reached over for the Psychic, who hadn't managed to clothe himself. Will turned slightly as he felt the stronger man pulling him back onto the sofa, making a noise of protest. "Do you know what you told me while you were drugged?" Lance questioned. Will frowned, imagining the worst.

"I don't remember anything." Will answered truthfully.

"You said you loved me." The Dragon Bastard informed. "It was the only thing you could manage. 'I love you'. And you kept saying it over and over..."

"I was drugged." Will tried to deny it with excuses.

"A drunken heart speaks a sober mind." the redhead stated. "Is that why you're always running away from me?" He questioned. "Is it because you love me?"

"I don't feel anything for you." Will lied, staring to his feet, a sense of fear crawling over him. Wordlessly, the Champion grabbed the violette and forced the small body to turn so they could face each other. Hands placed on pale cheeks, he leaned in and radiated all the passion he could muster into a single pleading kiss. Will nearly gasped as their lips parted.

"Say it again. Then I'll give up." Lance demanded. "Look at me and tell me you feel nothing." His mouth hung open, he tried to force himself to speak, to make some sort of noise, and nothing emerged. A look of confusion and almost fear spread across his face as he did nothing but stared and breathed.

"I..." He managed that much, but some force from within rendered him unable to finish. "Ah..." amethyst eyes widened, and the redhead watched expectantly, as if daring him to try to say he didn't care. "Kiss me." He said, begging quietly for indulgence.

"You can't say it." The Champion stated.

"No, I can't. Are you happy?" Will questioned with a tone of frustration. The Dragon Bastard pulled the Psychic closer, their lips meeting again.

"Not at all." the redhead answered, pulling the violette on top of him as he laid on his back. The Psychic complied, allowing himself the comfort of the other body.

"Then what do you want from me? What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?" Will asked. Lance simply laughed at the question.

"There's nothing you can do." Lance responded, smugly satisfied as he brushed his hands along the violette's sides, feeling the warmth that radiated from beneath the Psychic's skin. "Somewhere inside your heart, you feel something for me." The Dragon Bastard stated with confidence; strangely, the Psychic found the man's confidence much less obnoxious than he did before. "I don't know what it is, but as long as you feel something, anything... I have a chance."

"You _can't_." Will insisted, sounding near desperate.

"I can and I will." The redhead stated defiantly, pulling the violette in for another kiss. A moment of silence passed between them, and the Psychic pondered what made the Dragon Master so driven to claim his heart. A thought of love passed through his head, and he tried to shut it out. Yet, his continued contemplating yielded no other answers; the man was helplessly smitten with him, for reasons he couldn't fathom. A shining Champion who could take his own pick of prey, and out of all the radiant maidens and beautiful divas, he chose the icy outcast, the misfit mentalist with more awkward quirks and eccentricities than the entirety of a circus side show. Utter nonsense. He could have far better than a heartless headcase and he knew it.

"Do you remember what it was like?" Will asked, finally breaking the silence of the room and the screaming of his own thoughts. "Do you remember what we did?" Lance hesitated to answer, as if nervous.

"Yes, I do." He admitted, "I'm used to the hallucinations, I remember just about everything that happened between us." It certainly had not been Lance's first time experimenting with the mind-twisting drug, that much the Psychic could sense from his thoughts.

"What was it like?" The Psychic questioned.

"Beautiful." Lance responded, "Like everything I've ever done with you." It was near painful to hear him so honest and full of adoration. "Everything just felt right... I knew that even when I couldn't think straight."

"And do you..._ Love_ me?" Will questioned in a whisper, his breaths shallow. Lance stared up at him.

"What a stupid question." He muttered, knowing the Psychic could easily hear him. "Of course I love you."

"I want to remember it..." Will admitted.

"Then let me show you." Lance offered. "Read my mind, or let me show you myself. All you have to do is say the word."

"But you don't want to, not without the security of a commitment..." Will recalled, wondering to himself if the Champion had lost his sense of self.

"I already have commitment." Lance stated quite confidently. "I've had you in a way nobody else has. Drunk or sober, you told me you loved me. When was the last time you spoke those words?" He asked.

"... Eight years ago." He remembered the exact day. He remembered his own stupidity, his blind dependency on another who could not fulfill his needs. He remembered the shame that was his misplaced heart. "Lance, it didn't mean anything."

"It meant _everything_." The Champion insisted with a firm tone. "I'm not letting you take it back. You're mine now, do you understand?" the violette gasped softly as he felt the Dragon Master shift, pressing up against him, as if to enter his body again. "You've been mine for a very long time... I've just been waiting for you to let me have the chance to show you." Will remembered this scenario quite clearly; a man swearing his faithfulness to suit the current need, a loveless devil lying through his teeth for the sake of sex. The Dragon Master began to press himself into the body above him, the mark on his chest glowing warmly with passion. Lost in a memory, he panicked.

"_I'm not ready_." Will rushed the words out of his mouth in a state of fear. Lance wasn't the deceitful kind, wasn't a manipulative liar - then again, they never seemed to be so cruel until they moved on, revealing their true, hideous faces. The Dragon Master pulled away.

"Good." Lance said. Will cursed himself; first for his fear, and then for the fact that he was allowing himself to fall into the weakness of emotions.

"Why is it good? You wanted it, and I denied you..." Will asked, baffled. It was just sex, why had he asked Lance to stop? Never had he felt he wasn't 'ready' for it; those who needed preparation needed a mood to be set, whereas he simply fucked out of the need to be fucked. He didn't need romance or gentleness, he didn't need to feel something special before he got laid. What had swayed his decision?

"You denied me, you said you weren't ready." Lance stated, "And yet before you would have let me do this to you without a second thought." Within his mind, all he could do was curse and hate himself for allowing the other man to even come close to his heart. He was so close, so infuriatingly close to unraveling every thread of every shield he'd worked up for the past eight years. "Before it was just sex to you, it didn't matter who it was with as long as they made you feel good." the Champion, once again, proved himself to be needlessly observant. "And now you're hesitating. Something is stopping you from just fucking me right here."

"I can't have you near me anymore." Will stated coldly as he climbed off of the Champion's lap, finding his clothes again and dressing himself.

"Fine. Push me away again." Lance challenged him. Will remained silent, refusing to speak. "I'll just keep waiting for you." He stated, "It kills me every time you insult me or reject me, or when you ignore me. It fucking hurts, you know that? It always did." He was scowling, almost angry, yet too loving to bring himself to be hurtful towards the violette. "But I put up with it, and I kept waiting. Because that's what you do when you love somebody. You _know_ it won't always be easy, and you don't give up on them." The Dragon Bastard was less-than-subtly dropping hints for the Psychic, who pretended not to hear. Lance found his own clothes where they'd been scattered and dressed himself quickly, managing to finish before the Psychic, who had far too many garments to put on in a hurry. He turned for the door. "I can wait as long as you need me to." He promised in a gentle tone of voice.

Will felt his heart crushing in on itself as Lance poured his truths out, forcing himself to look away from the man as he tensed into a grimace, biting back the tears that filled his eyes until they blinded him. He heard the door swing shut as Lance abandoned him in the dim room, and a few seconds had gone by before he allowed himself to break down into sobbing. Lance was at the door listening; he knew he was, he could sense it, and yet he couldn't care. He admitted with shame that some part of him wanted the other man to be a witness to his weakness, to know that somewhere inside he had a heart that felt only for the very thing it denied itself.

The Champion felt a heaviness in his chest as he heard Will's voice softly weeping on the other side of the door, he found himself struggling to take his next steps as he left the violette to his tears. There was nothing he wanted more than to turn around, to run back to Will, swoop his beloved up in his arms and console him, kiss the tears off of his face, tell him in whispers that everything would be okay. He couldn't. There was a very important lesson that the Psychic needed to learn, and it could only be taught by starving him of the love he didn't realize he needed. Every step he took drove a needle of shame through his heart, but he went on. There was nothing left to do. No more words to say. Only time to wait, and he knew that Will would come around. He felt an unshakable certainty of it, a feeling that encompassed his entire body that told him everything would be okay.

The redhead found himself outside again, and took the chance to make a phone call. Certain things needed to be made clear to certain people, he had plenty of time to waste without the possibility of having to fight any challengers of the Indigo League. He waited through trilling dial tones for the call to go through. Through a pause and some static, the other end answered.

"Is everything alright?" No formalities, no greetings, everything was straight to the point, although it wasn't as if he were in any rush.

"A while ago, you promised me something." Lance recalled as he paced down the street.

"I've promised you several things in the past." The voice on the end of the line stated, "If you wanted me to make good on one of our agreements, you'll have to be more specific."

"When Will first joined the Indigo League, and you introduced me to him." He stated, "You knew back then that I... Wanted him." There wasn't much of another way to describe it without falling into lewd subject matter. "And you told me that if I ever wanted to pursue him, you wouldn't interfere."

"Is that what you're asking for?" The other man questioned.

"Yes... I'm sorry if it's a bit sudden." Lance apologized, although he had no reason to.

"It isn't sudden, no need to worry." The answer was calm, good-natured in tone. "I knew once he started spending time with you, you'd want to claim him. I fully understand." It was expected that the man would be so accommodating; he was a man of his word, honorable despite his flaws. "I won't get in your way." He promised.

"Thank you." Lance smiled slightly. "I'm heading back to the Plateau."

"What about Will? He went out searching for you."

"He found me." The Dragon Master responded, "I'm not sure how, but he did. He should be back before I get there." He wasn't in the mood for talking about the Psychic any more than he needed to. "I'll see you soon." He said a farewell before ending the call.

When was the last time he'd felt tears gracing his cheeks, Will had wondered. They ran hot on his skin before freezing lines along his face. Shamefully, he balled the fabric of his sleeves up in his fist and rubbed the tears from his face like they threatened to burn away his flesh if he let them run, crying out a noise of frustration at his childish inability to contain his emotions. Lance was gone; he'd tortured himself enough by listening to the pathetic wailing and choosing not to remedy it.

Will grasped at a Pokeball attached to his belt and drew his mind close to the creature dwelling inside; they'd bonded so deeply through their minds that he no longer needed to even draw any of his Pokemon out to interact with them. He focused, or he tried to; he wanted to go home, but wasn't sure what he considered his home anymore. He had no idea where his parents were, and he scarcely cared; he had never felt like he belonged with them and their filthy lifestyle of roughing it out in the wild, dirt under their nails and sunburned cheeks. Perhaps there was a bed waiting for him in Azalea, but so were plenty of horrible creatures that crawled around in the grass on eight legs.

The only comfort he could think of was within his friends, if he had any. Koga and Karen treated him warmly, even though he didn't think he deserved it. He mistreated them, he listened to their secrets and weaknesses and yet never betrayed any of his own to them. Abused their kindness and never returned it; he wasn't worth their smiles and kind words, and yet they almost seemed to understand. It was simply an aspect of him; he was complicated, he sat high upon a thorned tower and dared them to climb, knowing he would only hurt the ones who ever tried to reach him at the top. They made their sacrifices; they tolerated the prickling upon their skin, because they knew there was beauty to be found past the thorns and beneath the masks. They loved him. In his own way, he loved them in return, as much as he would allow himself to. Perhaps he didn't have a home, but he had comfort in the form of his friends.

A light erupted from the Pokeball attached to his belt, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to imagine his bed; his home at the Plateau. He felt the air shift around him, and when he opened his eyes he was there again. The light that entered from the windows was pale. The sun was setting. He'd lost track of the time he'd spent in the abandoned warehouse. He desired comfort, a certain kind of comfort that he could only attain from another body. There was nothing better to pass the time than to get fucked, it had almost grown boring to him to be so quickly sated; there was no longer any entertainment within the challenge of finding an activity to hold his interest.

Not much later on, the violette had found himself within the familiar environment of the Poisoner's room. Koga had requested he sit down for some tea so they could speak about something he thought was particularly important. Despite the Psychic's pleading him to save it for later, eventually he gave in and decided to wait for his fun, although it was done with great disdain.

"Now, Will, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the nature of our relationship recently." Koga began, as the Psychic absentmindedly toyed with the ruffled end of one of his sleeves. "I do enjoy your company very much, and I do care for you." He stated, "However, I am beginning to feel that it is not proper for a man of my age to have relations of our nature with somebody so much younger than him."

"You felt that before, didn't you?" Will questioned with a tone of boredom. "Just get over it like you did back then." He shrugged.

"_No_, Will." Koga said firmly. "You played me into your hands, and I allowed it to happen. I let my self-restraint slip for you time and time again." He explained, expressing his disgust with himself. "You are _not_ going to manipulate me anymore. It isn't healthy for either of us, especially not you."

"Well, you had four years to change that, didn't you?" Will questioned, "Why do you suddenly care?" He asked with an accusatory tone.

"I have always cared. I was simply too selfish to change." The Poisoner stated, as Will stood, leaving his tea on the table.

"Why _now_?" Will asked, pacing around the room. He was growing suspicious, it was clear from his tone that he was not amused by the man's sudden change of heart.

"I should have done this a long time ago. I realized that many times, and neglected to take action." Koga answered.

"That doesn't answer my question." Will said with a near hiss, his words coated with the sound of his annoyance. "What happened _today_ that made you decide to finally do what you wanted?"

"Nothing more than self-realizati-"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Will questioned with anger, "What did he say to you? I know it was him, stop lying to me!" Koga sighed, putting his mug down on the table and leaning back in his chair. He didn't need psychic powers to know Will was about to have a fit.

"Fine. You want to know something that will only anger you more? Then I'll tell you." The man complied, "He called me today and asked me to make good on a deal we had." He began, "Because the day you joined the Indigo League, I knew he loved you. I promised him that if he ever wanted to pursue you, I would allow it. I promised to step aside for him, for both of you."

"Why would you ever listen to him?!" The blood was feverishly hot in his veins. "He doesn't get to decide whether or not I'm allowed to fuck you, do you understand?" Will questioned with frustration, disgusted that the Dragon Bastard could stoop to such lows, daring to make claims of his body.

"Nor are you allowed to decide that I am not allowed to end our relations." The older man retorted calmly, holding the mug up to his mouth, paying no mind to the violette's anger. "I am not doing this because Lance asked me to, do not misunderstand the situation. He simply made the request at a time that coincided with my own decisions." He turned his face down towards his hands, as the psychic growled and let out his frustrations, his eyes bursting with light as he made a mess of the room, an inability to control his emotions coupled with an inability to contain his powers of psychism. "Please, try to understand. I do not think it is healthy for you to live out such a lifestyle where you deny yourself happiness. You need to be with somebody your own age, and so do I." Will let out a noise that sounded like a roar, although it was hardly convincing when made with his voice, normally delicate and soft.

"He has to ruin _everything_ I have, doesn't he?!" The Psychic was beyond reason, simply acting out of anger. Koga heaved a sigh as he turned, hearing the sound of something shattering; never had he seen the violette in such a barbaric, vulgar state, destroying simply for the sake of destruction, screaming and yelling because there was no easier way to let it be known that he was hurt. He was half tempted to tranquilize the young one simply to spare what few belongings of his hadn't been misplaced in the chaos of Will's psychic tantrum, but figured the violette desperately needed to let out his emotions after how long he'd held them in. He'd simply have to let the young one rage all the bad feelings out until he inevitably drained himself. He drowned out the violette's storm with tea, waiting patiently for it to end.

"I hope you don't expect me to clean all of this up." He said with a frown as he stared at the wreckage that used to be his room. Perhaps he'd be angry if he didn't care so much for Will, but he understood the situation too well to hold it against the violette. Some insults were growled in his direction; Will was still in a terrible mood, he simply no longer had anything else he could make a victim of it. The psychic turned his attention towards the older man, who felt a stinging in his head.  
"I wouldn't try that, Will." Koga warned, "You're only going to hurt yourself." He wouldn't listen; he could feel a foreign consciousness attempting to pry into his head.

Koga stood, setting his mug aside. Arms crossed over his chest, he stepped closer to the young one and waited, actively resisting the psychic's invasion of his mind, pushing back with all the strength he had. Will would surely reach his limits soon; he could see the violette's expression cracking even when concealed by his mask. Sure enough, Will let out a struggling breath, falling to his knees, the force of his mind retreating. The boy was strong, but he could only do so much before he exhausted himself.

"Now then, are you done? Or do you have some more bottled up aggression you'd like to take out on my possessions?" The man asked, gazing down at the heap of a body curled over on the floor. Will merely groaned a noise of defeat. "Good. Then you won't mind cleaning up your mess." He said with a scolding tone, turning his back on the violette again and returning to his work. He could hear the violette choking out a noise.

"I c-can't..." Will struggled, clutching his stomach as if he were sick. "My head..."

"Perhaps you've forgotten, but you do not need to rely on your psychic abilities for everything." Koga reminded, glancing over some notes he'd written on herbal mixtures. "You can put my room back the way it was before your display of childishness. _By hand_."

"Childish?" Will questioned weakly, his voice betraying a hint of distaste.

"Yes, I don't have many other words for grown men who throw a fit when they don't have their way." He maintained a tone of disinterest. "You've been so apathetic and self-restraining with your emotions for so long, I suppose I forgot that you really are still a child."

"I'm twenty-two." Will stated, as if offended.

"You're not even half my age." Koga pointed out, "I don't mean to call you immature, you're plenty mature for your age." He corrected himself, "However, it is becoming increasingly obvious to me that we're not in the same mindset. The more our emotions become a factor in our relationship, the more I realize that we simply are not right for each other."

"That's why I didn't want emotions to matter. That's why I didn't want Lance to-"

"Lance isn't causing you any trouble. You simply don't know how to deal with feeling quite yet." Koga stated, as he heard Will shuffle about the room. "I'll have no more of you blaming him when he's done something good for you."

A floor above, Lance was pouring himself a drink. He probably was taking it a bit too far, he'd probably had enough alcohol in his system for that week. He hardly cared; it wasn't a problem for him, he simply needed to relax after listening to the shouting match Will had tried to begin with Koga on the floor below. He was worn down. He had tried to be patient and make it clear that he cared, that he understood the concept of faithful love was a difficult one for the Psychic to grasp, all he could do was wait for the violette to realize how truthful he was.

Evidently, Will was not particularly accepting of the thought of being without a bedmate and having to get himself off without any help. Perhaps it would mean that the Psychic would allow him to take Koga's place. He shook his head at the thought, drinking down the vile beverage, finishing half the glass before setting it down on a beside table. There wasn't much reason for him to get his hopes up; after all, Will was repulsed by him. He pulled his shirt off and fell onto his bed. He grabbed the glass and finished his drink quickly, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling with the hope that he might be able to fall asleep again. He examined the little details that curled along the ceiling, things he'd seen before but hardly acknowledged. He imagined Will, how perfectly warm his touch was, how soft his lips were, how he longed to have his slender form against his side as he laid in his bed. His vision darkened, and he welcomed it, his thoughts slowly trickling away as he was gripped by sleep.

It felt like he'd barely blinked, something had disturbed his sleep. His eyelids were heavy, but he managed to lift them. He felt something. Lance gazed to his side with tired eyes, his bed had shifted slightly with a foreign weight.

"Will?" The Dragon Master questioned quietly. The presence was powerful and distinct, one he couldn't forget if he wanted to. "I thought you didn't want me." He watched as a slim form approached him, pressed up to him, an arm placed over his chest. As quickly as he could, he reached over and grasped the hand that rested on his shoulder, gently cradling it within an embrace. The violette leaned closer to him, capturing his lips with his own, kissing gently, apologetically. Lance sighed as their mouths parted.  
"You confuse me..." He said into the air.

"I don't like being alone in the dark." Will stated in a soft voice. "Koga won't even let me share his bed with him anymore, even if we aren't fucking."

"Sorry." Lance smiled slightly, it was obvious that he was insincere. "If you want it so badly, you know your other options." He pointed out, turning towards the violette. "I mean, you're here with me now, aren't you?" He asked with a quiet tone.

"I'm not ready for it, I told you." the Psychic responded. "Not with you."

"Why not with me?" He asked.

"Because..." Will began. "I'm not sure how I'll feel if we do. I don't know if I'll be able to go back."

"Back to being numb?" Lance questioned, his free arm sliding under the violette's body, pulling him closer. "You don't have to be afraid of it, Will..."

"Can we please go to sleep?" Will requested gently. Lance wondered, where was the Will from no more than an hour ago, who might as well have sworn hatred for him?

"I'm not tired anymore." Lance stated.

"_Go to sleep, Lance_." Will demanded, forcing the Dragon Master's mind into a state of submission. He hadn't wanted to, but there was little else he could have done. He wasn't ready to talk, to answer questions. All he wanted was rest. He gazed on at the redhead, whose eyes had closed, his breathing slowed, and he took in the sight eagerly, nearly desperate to remember the image. It was soothing, enough to make him forget his fears of the dark. Enough to allow him the peace he needed to let his mind rest and become entangled in a web of dreams. He fell asleep there in his lover's arms.

* * *

_OKAY THIS TIME I PROMISE_

_IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE ME AS LONG TO UPDATE THIS FIC_

_I'M SORRY GUYS I GOT REALLY SIDETRACKED FOR A WHILE_

_Anyway, I am really very serious about this, that was really rude and selfish of me to slack off so much on writing this. I have not given up on this fic yet, so don't worry, I'm just lazy. I'm not going to promise any specific release date of the next chapter, but it certainly won't be two months or however long this one took me. Stay tuned, loves._


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